Hollywood Calling---A Chicago Fire Story
by mom2jlg
Summary: The firefighters of Station 51 have to baby-sit a bunch of actors doing a TV show based on the CFD and the lives of the men and women. Chapter 15 is up now!
1. Chapter 1

**Hollywood Calling**

***The firefighters of Station 51 have to "babysit" a bunch of actors connected to a new TV show about the Chicago Fire Department and the lives of the men and women. These actors are "researching" their characters, getting ready to shoot the pilot episode.***

**Chapter 1**

Kelly Severide locked his car and strode toward the firehouse. His fellow Lieutenant, Matt Casey, met him at the door.

"What's up?" he asked.

Casey waiting for him couldn't be a good…something was going down.

"Boden wants to see us…ASAP." Casey replied tersely.

"Can I at least put my stuff away first?"

Casey took a look at his watch.

"You got about two minutes."

Severide rolled his eyes. He could tell this was gonna be a long shift.

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The two lieutenants filed into Chief Boden's office.

"Matt…Kelly…sit down."

They did as they were told.

"What's up, Chief?" Kelly asked.

Boden took a deep breath and let it out slowly…

"I was just briefed on this by the top brass…Todd Keller Productions is making a new TV show about the CFD."

Kelly just stared blankly.

If it didn't involve a ball or a puck and come on ESPN…it didn't come on his TV. At least not while he was in the room…

"You know that show "Justice Served"?" Casey asked him.

Kelly shook his head.

"It's been on for like…twenty years. Jeez, do you live under a rock or something?"

"Apparently…" Kelly answered tersely. "So anyway…new show about the CFD?"

He had a feeling he didn't like where this was headed already.

"So anyway…" Boden continued. "Some of the people connected to the project'll be paying us a visit…actors…doing research for their characters…writers…to get a feel for things…"

"Us meaning…_us_?" Casey asked, indicating to himself and Severide.

"Us meaning the whole house." Boden said. "We'll be taking these folks for ride-alongs…they'll be shadowing the men…"

"In other words, we gotta baby-sit." Kelly said. "You can count me out."

"This is coming down all the way from the Mayor's office, Kelly. The show's gonna be filmed entirely in Chicago…they're gonna drop a ton of money…so the Mayor's all over this. He's putting pressure on the top brass…and…"

"Shit rolls downhill." Kelly finished.

"Pretty much…" Boden agreed.

"So what do you need from us?" Casey asked.

"I'm gonna announce it at briefing today…and I want us to present a united front. I don't like this any more than you do…but we don't get a say in the matter." Boden told them. "That'll be all."

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Severide and Casey leaned against the back wall of the briefing room when Boden made the announcement.

There were moans and groans and protests all around.

Once Chief left the room the men turned to their Lieutenants.

"Hey…don't look at us." Kelly said. "We only heard about it five minutes before you did."

"And like Chief said…" Casey added. "A lot of people a lot higher up the food chain think this is a good idea."

"Then let them come babysit these guys." Hermann said.

"Yeah…like that's gonna happen." Otis interrupted. "Do we have any idea who these people are?"

"No one dropped any names to us…" Casey said.

"This is gonna be a frickin' disaster…" Hermann muttered.

Severide couldn't agree more.

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But they didn't have a lot of time to dwell on their predicament…

"Engine 51…Truck 81…Ambulance 61…Squad 3…Structural collapse…"

They rolled up on the scene of an old community building.

The hundred year old foundation had given way and the building had collapsed in on a bunch of teenagers using it as a hangout…and probably a place to get high.

There was a kid…he looked to be about fifteen or sixteen…covered with dust and dirt…and blood. He looked like he'd clawed his way out of a grave.

Shay and Dawson immediately rushed over to him.

He looked to be in shock.

"Are there more people in there?" Kelly asked him.

The kid just stared blankly.

"Hey! Is anybody else in there?!" he asked again…this time louder.

Slowly…the words registered…and the kid nodded.

Severide could see he'd be here all day if he tried to get anything more out of the kid. He ran toward the pile of rubble.

It looked like something you saw on CNN…after the earthquake in Haiti.

Mills was looking for an entry way.

"I hear something, Lieutenant…" he called out.

Kelly hurried over to where Mills was standing.

Sure enough…he heard it too. It sounded like someone tapping on a pipe…

"Okay…he called out… "Get the ropes…harnesses…and grab whatever you can to stabilize this hole. I'm goin' in!"

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When they got back to the house Kelly climbed off the rig…shrugged off his gear…and trudged wearily toward the locker room.

He was covered in dirt and dust…he'd been down in that hole for hours…moving pieces of wood and plaster…shoring up the walls to keep the whole thing from falling in on him. They had pulled six more kids out of the rubble…and he was right…they had been down there getting high.

After a shower and a change of clothes he at least felt like a human being again.

He headed into the common room to scrounge for a bite to eat.

Everyone was huddled around Otis's laptop.

"Please don't tell me you're doin' another podcast…" Kelly said with a groan.

"Naw…" Hermann said. "It's YouTube."

"Please don't tell me we're watchin' a cat make stupid faces…"

"It's about that new TV show." Otis said. "There was some press about it…who's writing it…who's starring in it."

"Anybody good?" Kelly asked.

He doubted there would be any names he recognized.

"Depends on your definition of 'good'." Otis said.

Interest piqued, Kelly looked over Otis and Hermann's shoulders.

"Who's this guy?" he asked.

"His name's Morgan Craddock…" Hermann said. "He was on one of those vampire shows all the teenagers watch…but they killed him off."

"How do you kill a vampire?" Otis asked. "I thought they were immortal."

"Just play the damn thing…" Kelly snapped.

Otis hit 'play' and they listened to the clip of the interview.

"Jeez…this guy's dumb as a box of rocks!" Hermann groaned.

"Somebody should script his interviews…" Otis said.

Kelly shook his head in disgust. He was most decidedly not looking forward to the three ring circus this whole thing was sure to turn into.

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"Lyssa! I'm home!" he called out as he let himself into the apartment.

He could smell cake baking…

Alyssa came out of the kitchen, drying her hands on a towel, which she dropped over the back of a chair before she stepped into her husband's waiting arms.

He leaned down and gave her the kiss he'd been waiting twenty-four hours to give her.

When they came up for air he just held her tight for a moment. Then he laid his hand on her stomach.

"And how's Baby treating you today?" he asked softly as he rubbed the barely there bump.

"He or she doesn't realize that breakfast is the most important meal of the day…"

Alyssa was getting close to her third month…at least according to Dr. Mabis, the hi-risk OB who had delivered Andy and Jesse. She'd conceived almost the next month after she lost another baby…one they hadn't even known about until the night their house was destroyed by a fire.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

He'd probably worry about her and the baby till the minute he held it in his arms.

"I'm fine…" she said with a smile. "Want me to fix you something to eat?"

"No…I'm not hungry." He said. "At least not for anything in the kitchen…"

He slid his hand around from her belly to squeeze her ass.

The moment was shattered by the timer going off.

"Hold that thought, Severide…" she said as she hurried to take the cake out of the oven.

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He told her about the TV show later that day…as they were walking to school to pick up the boys.

"I don't know about this, Lyssa. I see disaster written all over this thing." He said.

"I read something about it on-line the other day. They talked about how the firefighters were gonna be consultants…and they were gonna need them on the set. Maybe there's a chance to make some extra money. God knows we could use it."

That was for sure…with the renovations on the house, and now the baby coming…every dollar of his paycheck was already spoken for.

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Boden called Severide into the office at the start of shift.

There was the actor…the one from the YouTube interview…sitting in a chair across from Boden.

"Morgan Craddock…this is Lieutenant Kelly Severide. He's in charge of Squad 3." Chief said. "Kelly…Morgan's gonna be shadowing you for the next couple weeks."

Great…he was gonna have to turn "dumb as a box of rocks" into a believable firefighter.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Kelly stomped out of the office with his "shadow" right behind him.

"I'm really looking forward to this…Lieutenant. I'm prob'ly gonna have a ton of questions for you." Craddock prattled on. "So what are we gonna do first?"

Kelly stopped and Craddock barely avoided crashing into him.

"First off…you're gonna take about four steps back. Second…you're gonna watch…and third…you're not gonna get in the way. This job's tough enough without havin' to watch your ass too. Are we clear?"

"We're good…" Craddock replied tersely.

"Okay…" Kelly said. "Now…the first thing you need to know…is there's "Truck" and there's "Squad". _Never_ confuse the two."

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"Engine 51…Truck 81…Ambulance 61…Squad 3…"

They pulled up to a strip mall…where a Laundromat was engulfed in flames…and had already spread to the dry cleaners next door.

Severide jumped off the rig and studied the scene.

Craddock climbed down.

"What do I do?" he asked.

"Stay the hell out of the way!" Severide spat at him. "Stay by the truck…outside the collapse zone!"

"What's a collapse zone?" Craddock asked.

Dumb as a box of rocks…

Kelly didn't have time to explain.

"Just stay out of the way!" he said before he strapped on his mask to go in.

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Morgan stood by Squad 3's truck…watching…waiting…

God, this was boring.

He caught movement out of the corner of his right eye. He turned to see a group of four girls…maybe late teens, early twenties…definitely hot. Maybe this wasn't so bad at all. After all…chicks dig firefighters, right?

One of the girls shyly approached him…casting glances back at her friends…giggling all the while.

"Excuse me…" she said. "But are you Morgan Craddock?"

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The fire was finally out…and Squad was ready to head back to the station.

"Hey, Lieutenant…" Capp said. "Get a load of 'Hollywood' there…"

Kelly looked up…there was Craddock…talkin' ( flirting) with a bunch of girls.

"Oh, Good God…" he groaned, as he rolled his eyes heavenward.

Then he whistled…loudly.

"Hey! Craddock! You got about ten seconds to get your ass in this rig!"

Morgan quickly said good-bye to the girls…and hustled over to where Squad 3 was looking him up and down with disgust.

"If you wanna hold a meeting with your fan club…" Severide told him "do it on your time, not mine!"

The box of rocks actually had the nerve to argue back.

"What's your problem?" he said. "Fans are what make or break you in this business. And did you not see those girls? They were hot!"

"Well, what makes or breaks you in _this_ business is staying focused." Kelly growled at him. "And I know jailbait when I see it…you should be thanking me. You'd get at least five years for each one of those girls."

"Yeah…" Capp said. "Then you can hold your fan club meetings down at 26th and Cal!"

"Just make sure you don't turn your back on 'em!" Hadley put in his two cents.

The men all laughed…except for Craddock. He didn't know what '26th and Cal' was.

Severide just rolled his eyes again.

"Get in the damn rig…"

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They rode back to the house…

They had been at the strip mall for hours…and they'd missed lunch. Several stomachs were growling.

"Man…I'm starving…" Capp said. "What's for dinner, huh, Mills?"

Mills ignored the question.

"Would it be wrong for me to wish Alyssa would show up at the house with dinner?" he asked.

"Who's Alyssa?" Craddock asked.

"My wife." Severide answered. Then he turned to look at Mills. "And no…it's not wrong. Unless you're wishing she'd show up for the same reason I am…then we need to talk."

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The Squad rounded the corner…and there was Alyssa's SUV parked in front of the firehouse. And the tailgate was open.

"Hey, Mills…ask and you shall receive." Hadley said.

"Thank-you…thank-you…thank-you." Mills said to whatever higher powers were listening.

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The men climbed off the rig and shrugged off their gear before they made their way over to where Alyssa and the twins were waiting.

Kelly caught his wife in his arms and gave her a kiss.

Mills was staring at the foil pans in the back of the car.

"Alyssa, how did you know I needed you to cook tonight?" he asked.

Alyssa laughed and smiled up at Kelly…her brown eyes glowing.

And he felt a shiver of anticipation run down his spine.

"It gives me an excuse to see my husband." She said. "And Andy and Jesse an excuse to see their daddy."

"So what's for dinner?" Mills rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

Alyssa pointed to the two large pans.

"We have BBQ chicken breasts…and Chicken Lemon/Oreganato…they're all cooked…you just need to throw 'em on the grill to crisp 'em up. Then we have cold pasta primavera…garlic bread…you just have to throw that in the oven or on the grill."

Truck 81 had pulled in and the guys headed over to see what Alyssa had brought.

"Is there dessert?" Cruz asked.

"Who are you talkin' to, Joe?" Alyssa asked in mock surprise. "Is there dessert?"

She pointed to more foil covered trays.

"Because I was thinking about my incredibly handsome husband…" she said with a wicked grin… "Jumbo red velvet cupcakes…"

"Yes!" Kelly said.

Red velvet cupcakes were his new favorite…and Alyssa's were out of this world.

There were appreciative moans of anticipation from the men. They had had Alyssa's cupcakes before…

They started grabbing trays and unloading the car.

"Hey! Keep your paws off my cupcakes!" Kelly called after Cruz and Hermann.

Then he turned to his wife.

"What do you say we go to my quarters so I can thank you properly?"

"And what about Thing 1 and Thing 2?" she asked.

Kelly looked up…Casey was heading back inside.

"Hey, Casey! We got any jobs for a couple of junior candidates? The chrome on the truck's looking pretty grungy."

"I've got an even better idea." Casey said. "How 'bout if we show Craddock here the "down firefighter" drill?"

Andy and Jesse both broke into huge smiles. They loved it when they got to participate in drills with the men. And they'd been doing it long enough so they were just as good as some of the real firefighters.

Craddock looked excited to actually get to _do_ something.

"Sure…" he said.

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Casey went to get the stuff…and he grabbed Hermann, Cruz, and Mills to help him.

They came back into the apparatus room carrying CPR dummies dressed in full gear and Casey had two jump bags.

Cruz and Mills went to set up the "firefighters".

"Okay guys…" Casey said. "This is our "down firefighter" assessment. You crawl in…find your firefighter, disable his PASS alarm, and drag him to the extraction point. Easy, right?"

Craddock nodded.

It sure sounded easy enough.

Then Casey reached into the jump bags and handed out masks.

"Blackout masks…to simulate zero visibility. Okay, Craddock. You're gonna race Andy and Jesse here…"

"Wait a minute. You seriously expect me to go against a couple little kids?" Craddock asked incredulously.

The very thought of competing against children was demeaning.

Hermann scoffed.

"My money's on the kids…"

"Mine too." Otis said as he reached for his wallet. "In fact…I've got a C-note here that says Andy and Jesse make it to the extraction point and you're still crawlin' around on the floor."

"Oh, you're on!" Craddock said confidently. "Anybody else?"

Cruz reached for his wallet.

"Oh, hell yeah! I wanna piece of that action!"

"Count me in…" Hermann said.

One by one…Mills, Mouch, Capp, Hadley, Dawson and Shay all reached into their pockets. And Craddock took a wad of hundreds out of his pocket.

"What are you? Crazy?" Cruz asked. "Walking around with that much cash in your pocket? _Eres_ _loco_?"

"Okay…" Casey said. "Everybody gear up!"

Hermann and Mills helped Andy and Jesse get their masks on while Otis helped Craddock. Then they led them over to the starting points.

"PASS alarms!" Casey called out. "And go!"

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Andy and Jesse had done this a hundred times and they dropped to their knees and followed the sound to their "firefighter". They disabled the alarm in a hurry and started dragging their man to the open garage door.

"C'mon boys…" Hermann muttered under his breath. "Uncle Chris needs a new pair of shoes!"

Over on the other side, Craddock was disoriented in the black out mask….and he had to stop and regroup…and by that time he was way off course.

Andy and Jesse dragged their man the last few feet.

Casey hit the stop watch.

"Time!"

The two little boys pulled their masks off, very pleased with themselves. They knew they had done well.

Craddock got to his feet and removed his mask in defeat.

He was never gonna live this down.

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Casey looked at the stop watch in utter disbelief.

"Hey…Severide!"

Kelly looked up. Casey held up the time piece.

"Two fifty-six…" he said.

"No way!" Kelly couldn't believe it.

Casey nodded and held up the watch again.

Kelly broke into a huge grin.

"My boys!" he said as Andy and Jesse ran over to him.

He scooped his sons into his arms.

"Pay up, Hollywood!" he said.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Andy and Jesse were still chattering with excitement after their 'win' against the grown-up they had never met. This new guy wasn't a firefighter…even they knew that. He didn't know beans about how to put a mask on or how to listen for a PASS alarm…if he'd gone to the Academy he'd know at least that much.

"Daddy…can we call Grandpa?" Andy asked. "And tell him how good we did?"

"We beat out old record." Jesse said.

He was right…they had shaved four seconds off their time for that drill.

"Absolutely…" Kelly said as he put them down.

He looked over at Chaddock…still handing out money to the crew. For a second he wished he wasn't an officer…so he could have got in on the wager.

He grinned as he pulled out his phone.

Andy and Jesse were both hugging him around the waist as Kelly waited for the call to go through.

"Hey…Pop! You'll never guess who just clocked two fifty-six on the "down firefighter" assessment…"

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After Craddock had handed out close to a grand…everyone made their way toward the common room. Mills went outside to fire up the grill and Alyssa and Gabby started to organize the rest of the dinner.

Craddock flopped down in a chair at the end of a table.

This was turning out to be a tougher gig than he had thought. He had been told he'd get technical training before they went on to shoot the pilot…but right now he was supposed to be concentrating on building his character.

The writers and the producers had described to him what they had in mind…a brash, confident guy who was _the best_ at what he did…and he knew it. He constantly pushed the envelope and would do the jobs others might think twice about. He would do whatever he had to in order to save someone or keep his fellow firefighters safe…because he knew he could.

They also said he would battle some personal demons along the way…they hadn't decided whether it might be in the form of an injury or an addiction…and that his personal relationships would be prominently featured.

It sounded like a character with some meat to it…something he could really sink his teeth into and stretch his acting abilities further than he ever had before. It was a fantastic opportunity.

But how was he gonna get anything like that out of Lieutenant Severide? The guy must be good at his job…or else he wouldn't be in charge of a squad. But he didn't want to talk about his own experiences…he just kept saying 'watch' and 'stay out of the way'.

And he had totally shut down what could have been a hot hook-up with any one of those four girls today. Was the guy blind?

Even now…he was over by the kitchen…talking to his wife and kids. Where was the camaraderie with the men? The other men seemed okay with his wife…what was her name? Alyssa…that's it. The others seemed to know her pretty well and were okay with having her and those kids around.

Craddock watched the Lieutenant and his wife…she was kind of hot…if you liked older women. She was short…tiny…well, maybe a little thick around the middle. But she had pretty eyes and a nice smile.

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They all sat down to dinner together.

And Craddock had to admit…the food was pretty amazing. Lieutenant Severide's wife could cook…he'd give her that.

After dinner was over he watched through the window as the Lieutenant walked his wife and kids back to the car. He picked up each boy…Andy and Jesse…but how could you tell which one was which? He hugged them and put them in the car…then he led his wife around the back…

Craddock's eyebrows went up as he watched the Lieutenant lay a kiss on his wife…

Well…at least that part might work for his character.

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By his third shift with Squad 3 Craddock was ready to tear his hair out.

He'd gone on a bunch of calls…but he hadn't been able to get up close to see anything. He had no idea what actually went on inside those places. He'd gotten to know a couple of the guys…Hadley was good for a laugh…some of the younger guys on Engine were okay too.

But Capp was kind of a hard ass…and Mills was totally loyal to Lieutenant Severide. Whenever Craddock tried to talk to him, he basically spouted the party line…watch…learn…stay out of the way.

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He was sitting in the common room…trying to decide whether or not to go to Chief Boden and tell him this wasn't working out…maybe they could send him to a different house…

Hermann, Cruz and Otis noticed the actor sitting off in a corner.

"I'da figured you'd wanna be out at Squad's sacred table…" Hermann said, cocking his head in the direction of the apparatus room.

Squad usually sat out there…occasionally playing cards…but mostly joking around…rather than in the common room.

Craddock shrugged.

"So…uh…how's the research going?" Otis asked.

"Truth?" Craddock said. "Not so good…I thought this was gonna be something exciting…but tailing Lieutenant Severide is about as exciting as watching paint dry. I mean…what does the guy do? He goes to work…he goes home to his wife and kids. Where's the action? Where's the drama?"

"Now that's a word I never heard used to describe Lieutenant Severide…" Otis said. "Boring…"

"That man's had enough drama in his life…you could write a whole TV show on that and never run out of material…" Hermann said.

"But he hasn't said anything about that…"

"Let me tell you something…" Hermann said. "I've known Severide a long time…we all have. He doesn't let you in…just like that. He's gotta get to trust you first.

The other men nodded.

"He'll joke…he can bust balls with the best of 'em." Otis said. "But he's very private…he's had a lot of shit go on…and he'll only share that with one or two people."

"And he's one of the best men in the department…he saved my ass a time or two. Trust me…if you're in a tight spot…he's someone you want watchin' your back." Hermann added.

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Craddock mulled over what the men had said.

He had talked to Chief Boden though…and Boden's face darkened when he suggested shadowing someone else.

"I'll tell you something, Morgan…" the Chief said calmly. "Lieutenant Severide's got over twenty years with this department. He was the youngest man ever promoted to Squad…and now he's been there longer than any man in the entire department. He's a decorated officer…and he's one of the best men I've ever had the pleasure of serving with. So you'd do well to stick with him."

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Back in his hotel room Morgan ordered room service and opened up his laptop.

He opened up the search engine and typed "Kelly Severide" into the search bar.

Then he hit enter.

Then he hit pay dirt.

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He was up all night…there were several articles about a rash of fires in the Portage Park area beginning about nine months ago…on Christmas Day. An elderly couple was trapped in their burning house and they were rescued by their next door neighbor, Lieutenant Kelly Severide of Squad 3, and his father, retired firefighter Benny Severide. There was another article about Severide getting a special commendation for rescuing those people. And it pointed out that the Lieutenant was not on duty, but rather on medical furlough recovering from a work related injury. One of the pictures accompanying that article showed Severide on crutches.

Then there was another story about three houses being burned in one night last spring…including Lieutenant Severide's. And it mentioned that a juvenile was found to be responsible for it. The article gave the names of the other families too…and it said that one was the Lieutenant's brother-in-law.

Craddock had never heard that the Lieutenant had brothers or sisters…so he took a chance and plugged "Alyssa Boungiovanni" into the search engine.

And what came up there…now he knew what Hermann meant by Severide having enough drama for his own show.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Craddock walked into the firehouse armed with the printouts of all the articles he'd uncovered and a list of things he wanted to ask Lieutenant Severide.

But when he got to Station 51 Kelly was just leaving Chief Boden's office…and hustling out the door. He didn't even say hello…good-bye…stay out of the way.

Craddock cursed under his breath.

He already had a call in to the producers of the show to tell them he wanted to go a slightly different direction with his character.

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Kelly had barely had time to get a cup of coffee after roll call when his phone went off.

He frowned when he didn't recognize the number…it was local…but it wasn't anyone he knew.

Those kind of calls usually meant some kind of trouble.

"Severide…"

He heard some heavy breathing on the other end…

"Kelly?"

"Mr. Garibaldi?" he asked as he recognized the raspy voice.

"Yeah…" the old man wheezed.

Kelly couldn't figure why Mr. Garibaldi would be calling him…it had never happened…not once in the seven plus years he'd lived next door. If they needed something, usually it was Mrs. Garibaldi who called…and always on the land line.

"Can you come down here?" Mr. Garibaldi's voice crackled. "I need to talk to you. It's real important."

Mr. Garibaldi was in a nursing home…where he'd been living since his house was gutted by a fire last Christmas. When he wasn't in the hospital.

"I'm on shift right now." Kelly said.

"It's important…" the old man said again.

It was hard for him to talk…and even over the phone Kelly could hear the hiss of the oxygen mask.

"Yeah…let me go talk to Chief." Kelly told him. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Thank- you." Mr. Garibaldi sighed in relief.

"Okay…be there soon."

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He walked down the hall to Mr. Garibaldi's room. He hated this place…it was so depressing. But then again, all nursing homes probably were. And the smell…it was just _old_… and waiting to die.

Kelly shuddered.

Please God…he hoped he'd never be in a place like this.

He rapped on the door and walked into Mr. Garibaldi's room.

The old man looked worse…it had been a few weeks since Kelly had seen him…not since the last time he was in the hospital for pneumonia.

He was getting oxygen through a nasal cannula…nothing new there…Mr. Garibaldi had been dependent on the O2 tank since Kelly met him. But he had lost more weight…he probably weighted less than a hundred pounds.

"Hey, Mr. Garibaldi…I'm here."

The old man opened his eyes slowly…and a tired smile crossed his face.

"Kelly. Pull up a chair…" he wheezed.

Kelly did as he was asked.

"What's goin' on? What'd you need to talk to me about?"

Mr. Garibaldi seemed to be gathering his strength.

"I decided to go into a hospice program." He said. "I'm gonna stop most of my medicines…I'm not gonna go to the hospital any more…no more tests, no more treatments…no more stickin' me like a damn pin cushion twenty times a day…they're just gonna do what they have to to keep me comfortable."

Kelly's eyes went wide.

"Did something happen?" he asked. "To make you decide this?"

"I'm tired, Kelly…I'm ninety-seven…I miss my Gloria." He said. "It's time…it's just time."

"What'd your daughters say?"

Mr. Garibaldi took a few breaths…and coughed.

"They're against it…but they're so damn far away. And they ain't no spring chickens themselves…"

Kelly didn't know what to say…it was a lot to take in. On the one hand, he could see Mr. Garibaldi's point. To be old and sick like he was…and to lose your wife of sixty-seven years…

But on the other, Kelly cared for the old man…and he didn't want to think about him being gone.

"So what do you need from me?" he asked…his voice sounding very far away.

"I'm gonna sign the papers on Monday…" Mr. Garibaldi told him. "And before I do…I wanna see Andy and Jesse one last time. I want 'em to remember me like they always known me…before I get much worse. Can you and Lyssa bring 'em? Please?"

Kelly let his breath out. He hadn't brought the boys down here…he'd brought the cards and pictures they made…and he brought Mr. Garibaldi photographs every time he came. But he didn't know how the boys would handle a place like this.

But this was the old man's wish…he specifically wanted to see the twins.

Kelly knew he had to make it happen.

"I'll talk to Lyssa…we'll bring the boys on Sunday." He said.

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Back at the firehouse, Craddock was getting impatient. The men had been out on one call since Lieutenant Severide had rushed off to wherever he'd gone…and he was waiting to talk to him.

He sat down at the Squad table.

Capp was reading the Trib…and Hadley was playing some game on his phone.

"Do we have any idea when the Lieutenant's comin' back?" he asked.

Capp gave him a dirty look over the top of his paper.

"Prob'ly soon…" Hadley said, not looking up from his game.

"Where'd he run off to?" Craddock wondered out loud.

"Somethin' 'bout his old neighbor…" Hadley filled in. "He's pretty close to the old guy."

Craddock remembered the articles he'd read last night.

"Is that the one he saved from the fire? The one he got the commendation for?"

Capp folded up his paper and got up. He left the table without a word.

Lieutenant Severide was gonna blow a gasket when he heard Morgan had been snooping around. And Capp wanted to be far away when it eventually happened…well outside the collapse zone.

Hadley, on the other hand was a blabber-mouth.

"Yeah…how'd you know 'bout that?" he asked.

No way in hell he'd heard it from the Lieutenant.

Morgan shrugged.

"I Googled…"

Hadley chuckled…that was one way to find out about a man who played everything so close to the vest.

"The old man's in some nursing home. And Severide got a call…guess it's important. Maybe the guy croaked."

"What's the story there, anyway? I read about a bunch of fires…and I saw a picture of the Lieutenant on crutches…"

Hadley looked around…making sure Capp and Mills weren't around. They'd both tear him an new one for gossiping like an old woman…

"There was a kid in the neighborhood…he was like The Bad Seed or something. And he set…like half a dozen fires…the first one was to the neighbors' house. The old man and his wife were in there…and Severide and his dad got 'em out before we even got there."

"The article said the Lieutenant wasn't on duty…that he was recovering from a work related injury."

"Yeah…he got hurt 'bout a year ago…he got knocked down some steps…and busted his knee. He was goin' for rehab when this all happened."

"And he still went 'n pulled those people out?"

Hadley shrugged.

"Yeah…that's Severide for ya'. Guy's got balls of solid rock."

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When Kelly got back to the firehouse he went straight to his quarters.

He'd stayed about an hour with Mr. Garibaldi…and now he needed to talk to Alyssa.

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When he was done…he headed back to the common room.

But Craddock cut him off at the pass.

"What'd you want?" Kelly growled.

He was in no mood to be dealing with Hollywood.

"I wanted to talk to you 'bout some stuff I found on line." Morgan said. "How's your neighbor? Is he okay?"

"Who told you 'bout my neighbor?"

"Hadley said that's where you went. Is everything okay?"

Severide was gonna kill Hadley…stupid putz didn't know when to shut his hole.

"That's the guy you saved, isn't it? The one you got that award for?" Craddock went on…without a clue he was treading on thin,_ thin_ ice.

"Listen, Craddock…you're here to _observe_…not to go stickin' your goddamn nose in my business!" Kelly said in a low, threatening voice.

"But this is good stuff! This is the kind of stuff I gotta know about for my character! And I gotta go find it on Google… 'cause you won't give me the time of day!"

Kelly was so angry…he actually saw red. And right in the middle of that red was Morgan Craddock.

"You been here two weeks…and you don't know the first thing about being a firefighter. It's got _nothing_ to do with awards and commendations…or gettin' your name in the paper. If you wanna play this part…and play it right…you better that through your head _real fast_."

And Severide turned and walked away…before he did something he might regret.

He _might_ regret it…but he doubted it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Kelly climbed out of his car and locked the door…then he trudged up the block to the apartment building.

The kids were all out front.

Andy, Danny, Kevin and Connor had drawn 'streets' in chalk on the sidewalk and were racing their Matchbox cars all over the 'city'. Jesse had Vivvie over to play that afternoon…and they had given up playing cars and were sitting on the stoop playing tic-tac-toe.

"Daddy!" Andy jumped up and ran to hug Kelly.

Kelly caught the little boy in his arms before Andy could paste him. The boys were getting bigger…and when they double-teamed him sometimes it was almost enough to knock him on his ass.

And after the shift he'd just had…Andy just might manage to do that all on his own.

Kelly was the first to admit…after his visit with Mr. Garibaldi…it was hard to keep his head in the game. For the first time in over twenty years…he found his mind wandering when he went out on a couple calls. He was thinking about the old firefighter…and how much the job had changed…and how much of it was still the same.

It was devastating to think that in a few weeks…maybe a few months…the old man wouldn't be there anymore. On one level, Kelly understood where Mr. Garibaldi was coming from. He'd lived a long life…a full life…his body had just failed him. All his family…his siblings, cousins…were gone. All his friends…the men he'd served with…gone. And his wife…his wife of _sixty-seven_ years…she was gone.

He couldn't imagine his life without Alyssa…and he'd known her less than a decade. To lose the person who'd been by your side for more than _half a century_…he shook his head. He couldn't even contemplate it.

But on another level…a somewhat selfish one…Kelly had truly grown to care for the old man in the seven years he'd known him. Mr. Garibaldi was like a grandfather to him.

Andy's voice pulled him back from wherever his thoughts had wandered to.

"Can you take us to the park, Dad?" he asked.

"Maybe later, Buddy…" Kelly answered. "I need to go talk to Mommy for a while."

He hugged Andy to him then set his son down. He took a minute to mess up Jesse's hair before he let himself into the building.

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As he climbed the steps to the second floor he thought about stopping in at Nick and Kathy's. Declan was still having a really rough time and Kelly had been spending more time with the boy…trying to get him to fight his way back after all he'd been through.

Maybe he'd invite Chief over for dinner one night…maybe Chief could help get through to Dec.

He let himself into his apartment…

"Lyssa?"

She came out of their bedroom and ran into his arms.

And Kelly let out the breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding.

"Miss me?" he asked.

"Always…" Alyssa answered.

She loved him so much…and the nights when he was on shift seemed twice as long as the others.

He led her over to the couch and sank down into it…and drew his wife into his lap.

"Did you think any more about taking the boys to see Mr. Garibaldi?" he asked.

He had told her about his visit to the nursing home and what Mr. Garibaldi had asked him when he called her the day before.

"Um-hum…" she replied. "I was thinkin' we could go after church tomorrow. I'm gonna make some eggplant and pasta today…and I made a sponge cake this morning. And I got some broccolini…I'll whip that up tomorrow.

All Mr. Garibaldi's favorites…

Kelly just smiled as he held his wife close to him.

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Casey came by after he had finshed up at the house for the day.

He was really working his ass off because he wanted the families to be back in their homes by Christmas.

Things were coming along…it looked like it might happen.

He got buzzed in…and as he rounded the corner he could smell the onions and garlic…and his mouth began to water.

Italian tonight…why was he surprised?

Andy and Jesse sprung to their feet and came thundering across the floor as Uncle Matt walked in the door.

"Uncle Matt!" both boys shouted.

"Hey, guys!" Casey wrapped his arms around his godsons.

"Are you fixing our house?" Andy asked…the same as he did every day.

"I sure am…" Casey replied. "Pretty soon you're gonna have to tell me what color to paint your room."

Kelly had gotten up off the couch and crossed the room to slap Matt on the back.

"Electrical inspection went off without a hitch…" Matt told him. "Monday they're gonna look at Nick and Kyle's places…and then I can start hangin' the dry wall."

That was great news. It would be so good to get back in their own house.

The apartment building was nice…it belonged to Rich Allen, one of the guys over in Arson, and he had offered it to Kelly, Nick and Kyle while their homes were being repaired after all three had burned in one terrible night.

It was too good a deal to pass up…it was only two blocks from the kids school…just on the other side of Melvina. And it was good that all three families were so close together, so they could help each other.

It wasn't just the physical…although that was a huge part of it. But they had their own support group…they all knew exactly what the others were going through.

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Alyssa came out from the kitchen and gave Casey a big hug.

"Just in time…" she said. "You guys can all go get washed up."

Andy and Jesse went thundering toward the bathroom…with Casey bringing up the rear.

Kelly caught her around the waist and pulled her close. Then he took a step back and laid his hand on her stomach.

Just like with the boys…he couldn't get over that his _baby_ was in there. It was corny…he knew…but the thought that this was something he and Alyssa had created with the love they had for each other…he'd never thought it could happen for him.

"Don't you think we should start telling people?" he asked.

Keeping the pregnancy a secret was absolutely killing him.

"We have that sonogram appointment Monday…" she reminded him. "I just want to know that everything's okay, you know, after…"

He pulled her to him again and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Everything's gonna be just fine." He told her. "And after the appointment I get to hire a sky writer…and take out a billboard on the Edens…maybe the Stevenson…and the Kennedy…"

"Maybe you can put it on the scoreboard at the Cubs game…" she teased.

He looked like he was actually considering it.

The peaceful moment was shattered by the thundering of little feet across the hardwood floor.

"Hey…easy, guys. Uncle Nicky and Aunt Kathy prob'y think you're gonna come through the floor…" Kelly said.

He slid his arm around Lyssa's waist and they headed for the table.

Little did they know Casey had observed the little exchange between them.

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The next day they went to visit Mr. Garibaldi.

Kelly had told the boys that morning what the plan was. He said Mr. Garibaldi was sick and that he really wanted to see them.

The boys remembered what had happened to Mrs. Garibaldi last spring.

"Daddy? Is Mr. Garibaldi gonna go to Heaven soon?" Jesse asked.

Kelly swallowed hard.

"Yeah, Jesse…I think he is. But he's had a really long life…and he's been so sick lately."

Jesse nodded.

"And he can see Mrs. Garibaldi again." The little boy said.

"That's right. He misses her a lot." Kelly said.

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They walked through the corridor to Mr. Garibaldi's room…and all the old people in their wheelchairs out in the hall stopped to look at the little boys.

Kids were a rarity there…especially ones so young.

They were armed with all the things they wanted to show Mr. Garibaldi. Their class picture…their T-Ball picture…the book on firefighting they had gotten a couple weeks ago…and their new fire trucks, of course.

And Alyssa had been cooking…so Kelly carried the insulated bag with the eggplant and the gnocchi, the broccolini with lemon and garlic…and the Italian sponge cake.

Always take care of your own…

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Kelly knocked on the door and the boys went bounding into the room.

The old man's face lit up as he saw Andy and Jesse running toward the bed.

Alyssa was right behind them and she leaned over to kiss Mr. Garibaldi's cheek. Kelly set the bag on the windowsill and slid his jacket off. He carefully lowered the side rail on the right side of the bed and motioned to Jesse to come to him. When Jesse did, Kelly slipped his little blue windbreaker off and lifted his son onto the bed.

Then he went around to the other side and did the same for Andy.

He helped Alyssa with her jacket too before he slipped his arm round his wife. He had been worried that the boys would be upset at seeing Mr. Garibaldi in the nursing home…but he realized that for most of the last two or three years Mr. Garibaldi was in a hospital bed in the downstairs bedroom of their house. So this really wasn't any different than they were used to.

And he didn't have to worry about Mr. Garibaldi getting tired…the boys were talking almost non-stop. The old man barely got a word in edgewise. At least at first. They showed him all the things they brought…the pictures…the book.

"That's the kind of fire truck I used to ride on…back when I first started at Station 1." Mr. Garibaldi said breathlessly as he pointed to a 1944 Mack Pumper. "I used to ride right here…" he pointed to a spot on the rear of the truck…the step there he used to stand.

"On the _outside_?" Andy breathed.

He didn't know you could ride on the _outside _of a fire truck!

"Sure, Andy…that's how they used to do it. Even when Grandpa Benny first joined the department…" Kelly told him.

"But what if you fall off?" Jesse asked. "The fireman could get hurt!"

"I'm sure quite a few did…" Kelly said. "That's why they changed it."

They turned the pages slowly…looking at all the old equipment and the old tools. Mr. Garibaldi had a lot of stories to tell.

And Kelly and the boys all listened in rapt attention.

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But Alyssa noticed the old man was getting tired.

"Boys…why don't we show Mr. Garibaldi what else we brought?" she said as she pointed to the insulated bag.

The boys eyes lit up.

"Mommy cooked all day yesterday!" Jesse said. "She made all stuff you like!"

"Yeah…she made gnocchi…" Andy went on…then he made a face. "And little broccolis…"

He had no use for broccoli…it didn't matter what size it was.

Kelly laughed and went out to the nurses' station to see if he could get some silverware and a plate.

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After Mr. Garibaldi had had a few bites of each dish…he settled back against the pillows.

Kelly could see it was time to wrap it up.

Alyssa was busy packing up the food…

"Boys…we need to head out…and let Mr. Garibaldi get some rest." Kelly said.

They said their good-byes…it was a little emotional for everyone.

Alyssa kissed the old man's cheek again and herded Andy and Jesse out the door to give Kelly a moment.

"Thank-you…" Mr. Garibaldi wheezed. "This was perfect…just what I wanted."

Kelly nodded.

"I'm glad. I'll come by again this week…after shift."

The old man got a wicked gleam in his eye.

"You think you could sneak a beer in here?"

Kelly just chuckled.

"You got it!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

On Monday morning, Kelly walked the boys to school…then practically ran home to get Alyssa so they could go downtown to Dr. Mabis's office.

They were going to see their baby! It was still too early to know what it was…but Kelly was hoping for a girl. He'd never pictured himself with a daughter before…but somehow he just had a feeling.

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He was practically bouncing with anticipation as they waited in the examining room for the sonogram technician. And Alyssa could hardly hold back her giggles as she watched her husband…who seemed to have all the patience of their six year olds.

Finally…Dr Mabis and the sonogram tech came into the room.

"Okay…"the doctor said. "Are you ready to see your baby?"

She gently pulled up Alyssa's top and Alyssa had already taken off her jeans and had a paper sheet across her lap. As she settled back against the pillow Kelly took a hold of her hand.

Alyssa shivered as the cold jelly hit her bare skin…and slowly the tech began to move the transducer in slow, widening circles.

The tech and the doctor studied the screen carefully.

"Just one in there this time…" Dr. Mabis said with a smile.

And she turned to monitor so Kelly and Alyssa had a good look.

A lot had changed in six years…now the 3D ultrasounds were standard.

And the picture was incredible. Instead of a fuzzy outline that someone had to tell you was a baby…Kelly could actually make out arms and a head…and even fingers.

The baby was actually sucking its thumb!

Kelly looked at his wife…she looked at him…and they both had tears in their eyes.

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The next morning he walked into the common room and headed straight for the bulletin board.

And he pulled a picture from his jacket…and stuck it right in the middle of the board.

Then he stood back with a big smile.

It was the sonogram picture of the baby sucking its thumb.

Everyone gathered around to see what he had just put up…and there were gasps of surprise.

"What is that?" Cruz asked as he took a step closer.

"What does it look like?" Shay said as she smacked his arm with the back of her hand.

Men could be so dense…

She turned to Kelly and enveloped him in a huge hug.

"Do you know what it is?" Hermann asked as he studied the picture.

"Not yet…not till the next sonogram…" Kelly said. "But Baby Severide is due at the end of March…"

He turned to Casey.

"I'm gonna wanna make a few changes with that upstairs guest room!" he said.

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And after shift he rounded up a group of guys to go sneak Mr. Garibaldi his beer.

Late that afternoon he went over to the nursing home with Casey and Capp…Mills, Cruz, Otis, and Hermann…and Vargas met up with them as well. The eight of them went to Mr. Garibaldi's room with a couple six packs and a couple pizzas.

Mr. Garibaldi looked worse in just the three days that had passed since Kelly had been there with Alyssa and the twins.

It looked like the old man was gonna go pretty fast.

But he was happy to see the men. His tired eyes lit up to see these young 'brothers'…to hear their stories from shift…to tell a few of his own. And a couple bites of Chicago style pizza…and a few swallows of cold beer…everything was just perfect.

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The men were still talking about it Friday at dinner time.

And Morgan sat at the table…doing what he was coming to be very good at…listening.

He could see now how much Lieutenant Severide's old neighbor meant…not just to the Lieutenant…but to all the men. He wished he had been invited…just to hear the old man's stories.

He'd started reading some technical materials…books he'd gotten from the Academy…and he was getting a new appreciation for what went into the training. He didn't know how he was going to be able to memorize all the stuff he now knew he had to learn if he was going to play a believable firefighter.

But this was the stuff he'd been looking for for his character…who now had a name…Lieutenant Aaron Whitlock. Here was the camaraderie between the men…the good natured busting balls back and forth…and the underlying respect for a fellow firefighter.

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About a week later Kelly's phone went off in the middle of the night.

It was Charlotte…Mr. Garibaldi's daughter.

Mr. Garibaldi was gone.

Kelly ended the call and set the phone back on the night stand. And he turned to Alyssa…

He didn't have to say a word. She knew.

And she took her husband in her arms. And they both cried.

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Mr. Garibaldi was going to be remembered for his service…and the firefighters at Station 51 were gonna make certain of it.

Kelly called Mr. Garibaldi's daughter and told her what they planned to do.

He knew it was what the old firefighter would have wanted.

The first thing he did was head downtown. There, he went into the shop where all the men and women in the department got their uniforms…and after a quick conversation with the clerk and the store manager, he bought a full dress uniform. Then he took it to the funeral home.

And the next he got dressed in his blues…the wake was today…

For a change he was the last one ready…maybe 'cause he really didn't want to do this. But he had to. He owed it to Mr. Garibaldi.

Andy and Jesse were dressed in their brand new navy blue suits…sitting uncharacteristically still on the couch.

"C'mere guys…" Kelly said.

The twins came over to stand in front of their father, and Kelly knelt down to straighten their ties.

Red for Andy, blue for Jesse.

Satisfied that they were as presentable as they were going to be…

"You guys remember all the things we talked about, right? You're gonna see all the guys from the firehouse…but this is a very serious occasion…you're not gonna be playin' and rough housing and makin' a lot of noise, okay?

They both nodded.

Alyssa came out of the kitchen.

"Ready to roll?" she said.

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When they got to the funeral home, Andy and Jesse hung back…even though Mommy and Daddy had explained what they were gonna see, they were still nervous.

Kelly gently nudged them forward…then he took them by the hands and led them up the aisle to the front.

Mr. Garibaldi was lying in a big box…that looked like a bed. And Uncle Mouch and Uncle Chris were standing beside the box. They had their fancy uniforms on…and their white gloves…and they were wearing their hats…even though they were inside. And they were staring straight ahead, not even smiling a little.

Daddy squeezed their hands and he led them right up to the box. There was a thing to kneel on..just like in church and they knelt down. Mommy knelt between them and slowly they all made the Sign of the Cross…and Mommy nodded to them and folded her hands. And Andy and Jesse copied her.

Daddy was right behind them and he squeezed them on the shoulders.

There were more people waiting to kneel down and say a prayer for Mr. Garibaldi.

Alyssa and the boys made the Sign of the Cross again and after they stood up, Kelly took Andy by the hand and Alyssa took Jesse and they went over to where Mr. Garibaldi's daughters, Charlotte and Sandra were sitting on the couch.

The two ladies stood…these must be the neighbors their dad was always talking about… young firefighter who had saved him…his wife and their two adorable little boys.

"You must be Kelly…" Charlotte said.

Kelly nodded…and the older woman suddenly enveloped him in a huge hug.

After she released her grip…Kelly introduced his family.

"This is my wife, Alyssa…and our boys, Andy…and Jesse."

"We both want to thank you…so much for all of this." Charlotte said as she nodded in the direction of the honor guard. "You were right…this is exactly what my dad would have wanted."

"It's what he deserves." Kelly said.

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After the wake was over, Hadley came up to Craddock…who was standing in the back of the funeral parlor.

"Hey…I'm meetin' a couple buddies for a beer…wanna tag along? It'll be good 'research' for you." He said with a wink and a grin.

Morgan was surprised at the invite…and it's not like he had anything else going.

"Sure…why not?"

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They went to a place over in Bucktown… and Hadley's friends were already there.

"You didn't say 'formal attire'…" one of them said as the two men joined them at the table.

Hadley loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top button of his dress shirt. Then he shrugged his jacket off. He didn't want to accidently spill anything on it before the funeral tomorrow…if he showed up smelling like a brewery Chief would have his head on a plate…and let Lieutenant Severide have what was left.

"Hey guys…this is Morgan Craddock. He's the actor I told you about. He wants to learn how to be a firefighter." Hadley introduced Morgan to his guys…"This is John Mitton…Squad 1…and Todd Horowitz…Engine 12…Royce Callahan…Truck 36…and Dean Lowe…Squad 5."

"And you think Station 51's gonna teach you all you need to know?" the one called Lowe said with a snort. "C'mon over and ride with us…"

"Sounds great…I'm not really gettin' a lot from Lieutenant Severide…I mean, I found all this stuff on line…but he doesn't ever want to talk about the real human interest stuff. All he ever says is 'watch…listen…and stay out of the way." Craddock said. "And what does the guy do, anyway? He just goes to work…then goes home to his wife and kids."

Mitton chuckled.

"There was a time when Severide would close down the bar…he'd drink everyone under the table…then go home with the hottest chick in the whole damn place. Every fuckin' night."

"Are we talkin' 'bout the same guy?" Craddock asked.

"Yeah…" Hadley said before he took a long swallow of his beer. "The Lieutenant was a totally different man…"

"Before he got whipped…" Lowe grumbled. "Before he met his wife…I'd wager he laid down with half the women in Chicago…"

"Don't get us wrong…" Mitton said. "Severide's one of the best firefighters in the whole department…"

"Yeah…he's good." The one called Callahan cut in. "But he changed."

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Charlotte and Sandra insisted that the Severides walk with the family…and sit right behind them in the church.

Andy and Jesse looked around…it was St. Pasqual's, the church they went to every Sunday. But they had never been up so close before…usually they sat farther back and to the side.

They walked behind the big box…somebody had closed it up…down the center aisle. Andy held onto his daddy's hand, and Jesse held onto Mommy's.

Then they stopped.

Father Joe was standing at the end of the aisle…and two big kids…probably from Declan's class stood beside him. One of the boys was holding the little bucket of Holy Water…the one the priest used to sprinkle everybody at Easter time. And Father Joe took the stick and sprinkled some water on the box.

Then the other boy handed him a white blanket…that Father Joe spread out on top of the box. And then he took the smoky lantern…the one that smelled really yucky…and walked around the box.

Then they were walking again…and Mommy led them into the second pew, right behind Mr. Garibaldi's daughters.

Uncle Matt and Uncle Pete and Uncle Chris and all the rest of the firefighters sat on the opposite side of the aisle.

It was weird to be going to Mass two times in one week…and skipping school to do it…but Daddy said this was very important.

Uncle Matt got up to read…a story in the Bible about how there was a time for everything. And Mr. Garibaldi's daughters were crying.

And instead of Father Joe talking in the middle of the Mass, Chief Boden got up and talked.

Chief said a lot of big words…like 'honor' and 'dignity'. He talked about how the CFD was like a family…and how all the firefighters from Station 51 were there to honor their 'brother' even though some of them weren't even _born_ yet when Mr. Garibaldi got retired.

And after the grown-ups went to Communion…Daddy stood up.

He stepped out in the aisle, and he held out his hand. Alyssa gently whispered for the boys to go with Daddy.

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Kelly walked to the front of the church to the silver bell set up to the left of the podium. He positioned Andy and Jesse to the right of the bell…and whispered under his breath for them to stand up straight and tall. Then he walked around to the other side of the bell…and took a deep breath.

He wasn't one for public speaking…but Mr. Garibaldi was his friend…and he owed it to his friend to perform this final honor.

"Throughout most of history, the lives of firefighters have been closely associated with the ringing of a bell. As they began their hours of duty, it was the bell that started if off. Through the day and night, each alarm was sounded by a bell, that called them to fight fire and to place their lives in jeopardy for the good of their fellow man. And when the fire was out, and the alarm had come to an end, the bell rang three times to signal the end. And now our Brother Hank Garibaldi has completed his task, his duties well done, and the bell rings three times in memory of, and, in tribute to, his life and service."

He took another deep breath…and he rang the bell…three times.

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Morgan Craddock sat in one of the last rows…behind the friends and family…watching every move Kelly made…listening to every word.

He knew that the Lieutenant was the one who did all this…the honor guard, the bell ceremony…he was the one who said this was the way it had to be…and no one had questioned him.

When Chief Boden spoke, he talked about how the CFD was a family, and even though Mr. Garibaldi had retired in 1981 he was as much a brother as the men who joined the department in 2001…or 2011. He talked about how Mr. Garibaldi had selflessly put his life on the line, shift after shift, year after year, for the citizens of Chicago...and how each generation of firefighters was proud to carry on that duty. And he said that all the men and women from Station 51 were better firefighters…better people…for having had the privilege to know Mr. Garibaldi.

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After he got back to his hotel room he took out the printouts of all the articles he had found…and he put them in chronological order.

The first ones were about Mrs. Severide…Alyssa…being attacked in her own apartment. The one article said she was in a coma. And the police were looking for leads.

Then they arrested the guy who did it…and there was a picture of the man in court.

And off in a corner of the picture, almost cut off, was Lieutenant Severide.

The next set of articles were about the fire at the Garibaldi's house and the Lieutenant and his dad rescuing the old couple…and getting a special commendation. There were pictures there too…Lieutenant Severide and his old man with the Mayor…and the Commissioner…and the Chief. And one with the Lieutenant and his family.

He thought about what he had just heard the other night. The way Hadley and his buddies made it sound…Severide's little black book was about as thick as the Chicago phone book. It didn't really match with what he'd seen today…especially when the Lieutenant took his sons up with him for the ringing of the bell.

Morgan hadn't missed the way Lieutenant Severide looked at the boys.

All these thoughts were running around in his head…playing leap frog with one another. He grabbed a legal pad and a pen…and started trying to make some sense of it all.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

It was another all nighter. Morgan knew he'd never put so much work into a character…but he also knew he'd never wanted anything so badly in his life. More than ever, he wanted to get this one right.

He went through the articles again…line by line…then he jotted down all the things he had seen and heard the past couple days. And finally he wrote a new biography for Lieutenant Aaron Whitlock…which he emailed to the producers at four in the morning.

Then he fell across the bed into a deep sleep.

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He was late getting to the fire station in the morning.

When the car dropped him off, the men were outside, taking down the black bunting that was draped across the front of the building.

That was another thing they'd done for Mr. Garibaldi. The funeral procession had left the church and wound through the streets in the neighborhood…past his old house…and then past Station 51, where the flag was lowered to half mast…and the black bunting was swayed lightly in the breeze.

"Nice of you to join us…" Hermann called down from atop the ladder.

"Sorry…I overslept." Morgan answered as he went into the house.

He stowed his bag in his locker and headed to the common room for a cup of much needed coffee.

As he poured himself a cup, Lieutenant Severide came in. He nodded curtly to Craddock…and he went over to Lieutenant Casey, sitting at the table reading the sports section.

"Hey…" Kelly said, as he straddled a chair opposite Casey.

Casey looked up.

"What's up?" he asked.

"You know what Friday is, don't you?" Kelly said.

Casey thought for a second…then he nodded.

"Darden's birthday. He would have been forty five."

Kelly nodded as well.

"I'm thinkin' maybe we all could go get a beer or somethin'." He said. "You know…celebrate."

"Definitely…" Casey replied. "Count me in…"

Kelly got up.

"I'll go spread the word…and give Vargas a call. Maybe I'll reach out to some of the old guys too…Teagan, and Hunter…Lipton…Ridley…"

All guys that had served at Station 51…and moved on to other assignments…or retired.

"Good idea." Casey told him. "It'll be great to see everybody."

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Kelly went out to where the other men were just coming back into the house.

"Hey…guys…Friday night…" he said. "whaddya say we all go grab a beer for Darden's birthday?"

"I'm in…" Cruz said.

"Me too…Otis added.

"Absolutely…" Herman nodded.

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Back in the common room…Craddock sat down at the table.

Casey glanced up at the actor…he hadn't really spent much time around the guy, but he knew Severide was less than thrilled with his "shadow".

"Who's Darden?" Craddock asked.

Casey set the paper down carefully.

"Andy Darden was a firefighter here…he was on Truck…he was killed in the line of duty nine years ago last August."

Andy…that was the name of one of Lieutenant Severide's kids…

"Were he and Lieutenant Severide close?"

If the man named his kid after this guy…

Casey folded his paper up…and pushed back his chair.

"We all were…" he told Craddock as he stood up. "Excuse me…"

And he left the room.

Andy Darden…another name to Google.

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"Engine 51…Truck 81…Ambulance 61…Squad 3…"

They pulled up to an abandoned house. The windows and the door were all boarded up.

God only knew what was going on in there.

Kelly headed toward the back with Capp and Mills…looking for a way in. he stopped short when he saw the electrical cable coming down off the power line. He followed it back to the source and noted the crude splice job.

Pirated electricity. Wonderful…could be a grow house…could just be squatters. Either way that meant people…and potential victims.

He reached up and yanked the cable down.

"Mills…" he said. "Go team up with Hadley and hit it from the other side. Look for a secondary power source. We don't want a repeat of what happened that one time…"

He was referring to the time years before when they missed the second cable feeding a grow house and Capp had nearly been electrocuted. That was one mistake he was never gonna make again.

"Copy that…" Mills said as he went to carry out Severide's orders.

Severide and Capp continued toward the rear of the house.

They saw another wire…too thin to be a power line.

Cable…Kelly thought. He shook his head. Everybody needed their TV, apparently.

They reached the back door.

"Mills?" Severide said into the radio slung over his shoulder. "Got anything?"

"Negative, Lieutenant." Mills replied. "Looks like that was it."

"Got it…"

He nodded to Capp, and kicked in the door.

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Squatters…he thought as he surveyed the scene. They were in a kitchen…and he could tell someone had been there recently…there were fast food wrappers all over.

He took the lead and began to search for victims.

They moved to the second floor of the house. It looked like a bunch of people had turned this rundown place into a home. Several rooms were occupied.

They found a man down in the hallway…and Capp grabbed the guy's shoulders…and Kelly grabbed his legs. Together they lifted the big man…he had to be at least six feet…maybe more and over two hundred pounds easy.

They were making their way down the steps when their guy started to seize…his arms and legs began to jerk violently. Kelly wasn't expecting that…and he lost his grip on the man's legs. He stumbled forward and put out his right hand to break his fall…and his arm went right through the plate glass window in the curve of the staircase.

He felt the pain as the glass sliced right through his turnout coat and raked his forearm…but he couldn't stop to think. He pulled his arm back…and after another second he grabbed the man's legs again, tightening his grip to contain the shaking limbs.

They got the victim outside and onto the nearest stretcher.

Second in companies had arrived by this point and one of their ambulances took the man away.

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Kelly walked over to Ambulance 61, pulling his mask off with his left hand and shrugging off his SCBA tank. He peeled off his coat and his stomach turned over at the sight of the six inch gash running down the inside of his arm. It was deep…there was no doubt about that. He was going to need stitches.

Shay slapped a dressing over the wound and led him toward the back of the ambo.

He climbed in back and Leslie followed him. Dawson hopped in the driver's seat and just as she was about to pull away from the curb…Craddock jumped in the passenger seat.

Hey…he was supposed to "ride along", right?

Dawson shot Craddock a look as he climbed aboard.

But there was nothing she was going to say about it…

Morgan heard Kelly in the back talking on the phone. The Lieutenant was calling his wife.

"Yeah…I'm fine." He said. "I just cut my arm on a broken window…and I'm gonna go get it sewed up. I just didn't want you to worry…"

He listened for a second.

"Okay…I'll see you there…"

He ended the call. Then he turned to Shay.

"She's gonna meet us at Lakeshore."

Morgan looked confused…so Dawson explained it to him.

"When someone gets injured the department notifies the next of kin…but they don't give out any information. So your family doesn't know if you're burned…or if you've got a broken leg…or a collapsed lung…smoke inhalation…whatever."

Now it made sense. If you could call…better to ease their minds.

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While Shay and Dawson were restocking…Craddock positioned himself at the nurse's station so he could see Lieutenant Severide in the treatment bay over in fast track. Severide wasn't thrilled that the actor had hitched a ride…but he didn't say anything.

Alyssa arrived at Lakeshore and soon she was by his side. As Morgan watched serupticiously she took Kelly's hand and while he told her about the scene and the victim having a seizure she gently rubbed her free hand up and down his left arm.

She kept doing that…talking to him in a soothing voice and rubbing circles across the back of his hand with the pad of her thumb…while the patient care tech cleaned the gash that ran almost from the bend of his elbow down to just above his wrist. And then while the PA put in twenty-five sutures.

After the PCT dressed the wound and he had his prescription for an antibiotic that he hoped wouldn't make him sick to his stomach, Alyssa took him home. He nodded to Morgan on his way out. Suddenly, Kelly was really tired and he just wanted to get back to the apartment.

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The package arrived overnight…

And the clerk at the front desk handed it over to Morgan as he came downstairs.

Craddock took the envelope with his to the restaurant…and once he was alone at a corner table and had ordered his breakfast he pulled out the pilot episode of "Chicago Fire".

He flipped it open and as he began to read he couldn't keep the smile from his face.

The writers had taken all of his suggestions…every single one.

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The very first scene showed the team rolling to a fire….and some good natured bantering back and forth. When they arrived…it didn't look like a big deal. In fact his character…Lt. Aaron Whitlock even made a wager with the lieutenant from Truck…Jack Perry that Squad would get to the potential victim first.

But it turned into a big deal…when there was a back draft, and one of the firefighters was trapped and didn't make it. He burned up right in front of his lieutenant's eyes.

His Google search on "Andy Darden" had turned that up…and Craddock had surmised that if Lieutenant Severide had named one of his sons Andy…the man must have been very important. So in his character bio he created a long standing friendship that went back to their childhood days.

He continued to read till he got to the very last sentence.

And as he let the cover fall closed he was sure they had a winner. It wasn't a "fire of the week" piece…but a character driven drama that really had the potential to turn into a long running thing with so many layers to peel back.

Morgan took out his phone and scrolled through his contacts until he found the one he needed.

He took a deep breath and hesitated…did he really want to be doing this? What if the Lieutenant wouldn't take his call?

This is silly…Craddock told himself. Don't be a wuss. Just make the damn call. The worst that can happen is he tells you to go to hell. It wouldn't be the first time.

He hit 'call'.

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"Severide…"

"Lieutenant? It's Craddock."

"Whaddya want?"

"I've got something I need to show you…if I could have just an hour of your time…"

There was a long pause on Severide's end.

Then he finally said…

"Sure…come on over."

He texted Morgan the address…and Morgan went out to hail a cab.

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Thirty-five minutes later the cab pulled up in front of the Severide's building.

Morgan stepped out and he saw kids playing all out in the front…in the lawn…on the walk…on the stoop.

He recognized Andy and Jesse…and as he got a little closer he noticed one boy had a nasty web of scars down one arm…and another had some on the side of his face. He realized that these must be the neighbor kids whose houses had burned the night the Lieutenant's had.

There was an older boy sitting on the steps. He had dark hair…and Craddock could see the nylon gloves of a pressure garment peeking out from under the cuffs of the boy's fleece. He remembered reading that an older boy…the Lieutenant's nephew…had saved his mother and his two younger brothers…and had gotten burned over thirty seven percent of his body.

What was the boy's name? Declan…that was it.

Morgan pasted a smile on his face as he approached the building.

The boys looked him up and down.

"Can I help you?" Declan asked.

"I'm here to see Lieutenant Severide…" Craddock said.

"That's our dad."

Craddock looked down and saw the two boys looking up at him. He couldn't help noticing how much they looked like Severide. The blue eyes were exactly the same.

"You're the guy we beat at the down firefighter drill…" the twin in the red hoodie said.

Morgan nodded…

"My name's Morgan. Which one are you?" he asked.

"I'm Andy…" the boy said, then he pointed at his brother, who was wearing a blue hoodie. "He's Jesse."

Morgan held out his hand.

"It's good to actually meet you…" he said. "I'm looking for your dad…"

"He's inside…" Andy said.

"We'll take you." Jesse added.

The older boy…Declan let them into the vestibule with a key. And the twins led Morgan up the stairs to the second floor.

"We used to live in a house…" Andy said. "But it got on fire…and now we live here."

They opened the door and ran inside…thundering across the hardwood floor to get to their toys.

Kelly and Alyssa were at the dining room table…and Lyssa was changing the dressing on Kelly's arm. She cleaned the Betadine scrub off with peroxide…and Kelly jerked away as she hit a particularly tender spot.

Morgan watched as she gently pulled his arm back and then slid her left arm around her husband. He couldn't hear what she said to him…but he saw the Lieutenant take a deep breath and let it out slowly as Alyssa finished wrapping the bandage around his forearm. Then she put her arms around him again.

He looked up and saw Craddock standing in his doorway.

Kelly stiffened…embarrassed at being caught in a weak moment.

Alyssa moved back and let him stand up…and he crossed the room to where Craddock stood.

"Craddock…" he greeted him with a curt nod.

Alyssa slipped into the kitchen to get the men something to drink.

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Kelly gestured for Morgan to take a seat in the front room…and they waded through the mine field of toys Andy and Jesse already had spread out across the floor.

"What'd you want to show me?" Kelly asked.

Morgan held out the envelope containing the script and the multi-page bio he had written for Aaron Whitlock.

"I got the pilot episode this morning. I think it's one of the best things I've ever read…and I was hoping you'd take a look at it and give me your impressions.

Kelly pulled out the script and the sheaf of papers that came with it.

He looked quizzically at Morgan.

"That's something I came up with…I wrote a bio for my character…it's something I like to do to try and get into his head. You know…where did he grow up? Who's his family? What are his likes and dislikes? It helps give me a clear direction.

Kelly's eyebrows raised in surprise. That wasn't something he was expecting from "Hollywood". Maybe the guy wasn't dumb as a box of rocks after all.

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Kelly decided to start with Morgan's bio.

As he sank down into the couch and turned on the light Andy and Jesse got up from their game and climbed up into Kelly's lap and up beside him.

"What's that Daddy?" Jesse asked.

"It's something Morgan wrote…" Kelly answered as he began to read.

The boys waited to see if he'd read it out loud…but when he didn't, they looked up at the grown-up who hung around the firehouse but wasn't a firefighter.

They wanted to know what was going on.

Kelly glanced up for a second…and gave Morgan a nod that it was okay.

"Well…" Craddock began. "I'm an actor…and we're gonna make a TV show about the fire department."

"And Morgan's been hangin' 'round the house so the real firefighters can teach him all the stuff he needs to know." Kelly finished.

"What does he need to know?" Andy asked.

"Everything…" Kelly told him. "He needs to know all the gear…what all our tools are for…how to use 'em. What to do when he gets on a scene…what the guys on Truck do…what the guys on Engine do…what Squad does."

"People who watch the show have to believe that I'm a real firefighter." Morgan added. "And I've got a lot to learn."

Andy and Jesse looked at each other.

"We can teach you…" Andy said.

"Yeah…we'll help you." Jesse told him.

Kelly got a huge smile across his face. This was gonna be fun.

"They're right, Hollywood…" he said. "They already got this stuff down pat…"

The twins jumped up off the couch and started grabbing toys off the floor.

They motioned for Morgan to sit down…and Craddock shrugged off his leather jacket and joined the boys on the floor.

Alyssa came back with a tray of coffee and milk for the boys…as well as a huge plate full of cookies.

And she smiled when she saw her boys on the floor with the actor.

"Okay…" Andy said. "This is a truck…"

He pushed a big, red truck toward Morgan.

"See…it's got the aerial on it." Jesse told him as he raised the ladder.

Alyssa set the tray down on the coffee table and circled around to sit beside her husband as he looked over Morgan's character and watched Andy and Jesse teach "Hollywood" Firefighting 101…Severide style.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Casey waited to get buzzed in to Severide's apartment. He'd been at the houses all day…and things were moving along right on schedule. He was really pleased with himself, because it looked like his goal of getting the families back in their homes by Christmas was actually gonna happen.

He had decided to upgrade Alyssa's kitchen as a gift to the family…_all _the family…the firehouse included. Now she had two ovens along the wall…and one was a convection oven. She had a double wide refrigerator/freezer and a gooseneck faucet beside the five burner stove. The countertops were polished granite and he'd nearly doubled her cabinet space.

His mouth absolutely watered when he imagined all the dinners that were hopefully gonna come out of that kitchen.

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As he rounded the corner on his way up to the second floor he breathed in deeply…taking in the heavenly smells permeating the stairway as he knocked on the door to the apartment.

"C'mon in!" he heard Severide call out. "It's open!"

Casey let himself in and stopped in his tracks.

The twins' toy box had blown up in the living room…nothing unusual about that. When you had twenty-some "aunts" and "uncles" doting on you practically 24/7 you tended to get a little spoiled. The men and women of Station 51 kept Target and Toys R Us as well as Barnes and Noble and a few other places running in the black.

What surprised him was the boys' new playmate…Casey shot Kelly a strange look at the sight of Morgan Craddock sitting on the floor…and Andy and Jesse showing "Hollywood" how to use a toy Halligan.

Kelly looked up from the script he was reading…and grinned at his buddy. Casey still looked confused and cast a sideways glance at the door…checking the apartment number "2". That was right…so he'd obviously stepped into some alternate universe if Morgan was actually a welcome guest at the Severide home.

"What's goin' on here?" Casey asked.

The twins looked up and jumped to their feet…hopping through the scattered toys to hug their godfather.

"Uncle Matt!" Andy said. "We're teaching Morgan how to be a real firefighter!"

Jesse nodded.

Casey grinned…and stifled a chuckle.

"Really? And how's that workin' out?"

He looked down at Craddock…who was slowly getting to his feet.

The actor looked a little shell-shocked.

"It's goin' pretty good…" he said cautiously. "I just hope I can remember everything they're tryin' to beat into my head…"

Andy and Jesse giggled.

"We only hit you once!" Andy said.

"And it was a accident…" Jesse added.

Casey looked confused.

And Kelly cleared it up.

"Pike pole…" he said, nodding in the direction of the little plastic pike pole lying on the ground.

"Ah…" Casey nodded.

Every firefighter since the dawn of time had probably gotten knocked upside the head with that particular piece of equipment.

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Alyssa came out of the kitchen…and she hugged Casey.

"Just in time…" she told him.

"I've got my own internal clock…" he replied, as he patted his stomach.

Alyssa just rolled her eyes and laughed.

"So it's true? The way to a man's heart is through his stomach?"

"Works for me." He said.

She laughed again…then she turned to the rest of the men in her living room.

"Okay…lets 'get cleaned up…put your toys away…wash your hands…and we need to get the table set."

"Can Morgan stay?" Jesse asked.

"Of course…" Alyssa said. "Let's get moving. Dinner's ready to go on the table."

The boys and Morgan started cleaning up the toys.

Kelly was still looking over the script.

"Kelly?" she asked.

He looked up.

"I'm not supposed to lift anything…remember?" he said, indicating to his bandaged arm.

Alyssa rolled her eyes again.

"I love how you always play that card when it's time to set or clear the table."

She turned and headed back to the kitchen.

"Don't forget about when it's time to put the dishes away!" he called after her.

"Just you wait, Severide." She called back. "Just you wait. I'm working on a "Honey Do List" for the day those stitches come out."

The last of the toys in the toy box, Casey ushered the twins into the bathroom.

"Is Daddy in trouble?" Jesse asked.

" Oh yeah...Big time…" Casey answered.

"Are you gonna help him?" Andy said.

"Not a chance…he's on his own." Casey replied.

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Kelly chuckled to himself as he set the script aside.

"C'mon, Hollywood." He said. "Chow time."

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They had chicken parmesan, tossed salad and garlic bread…and between two real firefighters, one "Hollywood" firefighter and two "Junior Candidates" there wasn't a crumb left.

Morgan leaned back in his chair and rubbed his stomach. He couldn't move…he couldn't think about moving.

"Hope you left room for dessert…" Alyssa said as she stood to clear the table.

Kelly gave the boys a look…and they stood up to help their mom.

"There's more?" Craddock asked in disbelief.

"Nobody ever leaves the Severide house with an empty stomach." Casey said as he got up to help as well. "I think it may be one of the Ten Commandments."

"No it's not, Uncle Matt!" Andy said.

"Maybe it's number eleven then…"

"How can it be eleven when there's only ten?" Jesse asked.

"It's a joke, Jess…" Kelly said. "You'll understand when you get older."

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After a dessert of Italian sponge cake Lyssa went to get the boys ready for bed and to read them their stories.

The men sat at the table helping themselves to seconds on the cake…thirds in Casey's case.

"So, I'm really curious, Lieutenant…" Morgan said. "What do you think of the script."

"It's good…" Kelly said. "You should let Casey take a look too…"

"Absolutely…" Morgan said immediately.

"I never read a TV script before…" Kelly said.

"There's another actor coming in next shift." Casey said. "Someone named Dylan McEwan."

"He's gonna play Lieutenant Perry." Morgan told them. "He's kind of like the counterpart to my character. We've got kind of a one-up thing going on…"

"Two lieutenants trying to one-up each other?" Casey asked in mock surprise. "Where'd they ever get that idea?"

There was good natured chuckling around the table.

"We've had a couple pissing contests over the years…" Kelly said.

"More like a couple thousand…" Casey corrected.

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After the twins came out in their pj's Casey lifted his godson's into his arms.

"I gotta take off, guys." He said. "Some of us gotta work tomorrow."

He hugged the boys and set them back down. Then he hugged Alyssa.

"Thanks for dinner…again."

She hugged him back.

"Beef stew next time…bring your appetite." She told him.

"I'll be here with bells on." He promised.

Morgan stood up too.

"I'm gonna go too." He said. "Thank you so much for everything."

He held up his hand to Andy to "high five"…then Jesse.

"You guys are such awesome teachers…" he told them.

"There's more!" Andy said.

"Yeah…" Jesse said. "We didn't even show you our firefighter books yet!"

"Save something for next time…okay guys?" Kelly told them. "Morgan'll be back…especially now that he's had your mom's cooking."

Kelly looked at Craddock…

"Why don't you meet me at the firehouse at ten…there's some stuff there I can show you since I can't go out on calls."

"That'd be great, Lieutenant."

"Just plain Severide's fine." Kelly told him. "You don't gotta be so formal."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Kelly strode into the firehouse just after roll call.

"Wait an minute…" Otis said. "I'm confused. Aren't you supposed to be on medical furlough?"

"I'm gonna go over some stuff with Hollywood." Severide told him.

Otis, Cruz, Hermann and a couple of the others looked at one another in disbelief…not sure they heard right.

"You're voluntarily helping Hollywood?" Otis asked.

"Who are you and what have you done with Severide?" Hermann cut in.

Kelly rolled his eyes.

"Turns out he's not that bad…" he said. "Turns out he's really serious about wantin' to do this right."

"We're talkin' 'bout the same guy here? Right?" Hermann asked.

But there wasn't a lot of time for talk…the bells went off and everyone was pulling on gear and rolling out the door.

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Craddock showed up at ten minutes to ten…and truth be told, he was nervous. He'd gotten used to Severide's brusque, no-nonsense, "watch and stay out of the way". Spending the day with the family…seeing the Lieutenant with his sons…was like seeing a different side to the man. And watching his wife take care of him…Craddock saw a vulnerability that he never would have imagined was even there.

He walked into the common room and found Severide making himself a cup of coffee.

"Am I late?" he asked. "Where is everybody?"

"They're moppin' up a traffic accident." Severide said with a twinge of longing.

He wanted to be out there…but he was on the bench for two more shifts, at least.

"Ready to get started?" he asked Craddock.

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They spent the morning with the gear…Kelly teaching Morgan how to get into his turnouts…what tools he carried on him…how to use the radio…how to put on a mask.

"I really appreciate you takin' time like this…" Morgan said.

Kelly nodded.

"I'm sorry I came off like such an ass...I'm glad to know you're takin' this seriously."

"I am." Craddock told him. "This is such a great opportunity. There's so many things about this character…he's got so much room to evolve…"

"That bio you wrote…who told you all that stuff about Andy? Darden, I mean…"

Morgan looked at him strangely. Casey had told him Darden was a firefighter who died in the line of duty. The Google search had turned up a few details about how he died.

"Lieutenant Casey told me he was a firefighter at this house. He told me he was killed in the line of duty…but that's all. I figured since you named your son Andy he must've been pretty important…so I came up with that back story."

"Well, you were right on the money…" Kelly told him. "Andy was my best friend since I was a kid. We were like brothers from another mother."

"What was he like?" Craddock said. "If you don't mind me askin'."

Kelly smiled.

"Andy was like the glue that kept everybody together. He was a joker…but he always had my back. And he loved bein' a firefighter…" Kelly said. "It's still hard to believe he's gone…even after all this time."

He got a little misty just thinking about it.

He squeezed his eyes shut against the still painful memory…and wiped his hand down his face.

"What about you?" Kelly asked. "What made you wanna be an actor?"

"I never did…at first." Morgan answered. "But I'm the oldest of four boys…I grew up in Huntington, West Virginia. My dad worked in the coal refinery…and he was a hopeless drunk. My mom worked two…sometimes three jobs to put food on the table. But anyway…my dad took off when I was fifteen. Then when I was about seventeen I had a job in the mall…at the GAP. Some lady came in and said I could be a model. I thought it was bullshit…but she came back again…and I decided what the hell. So I did this photo shoot…and things took off from there. I was able to help my mom…and help my brothers pay for college…"

"Wow…I had no idea." Kelly said.

"The acting was just a natural second step…but I kept getting cast as the dumb jock or the dumb boyfriend…I just wanna show people I can do something besides take my shirt off."

Kelly laughed.

"Well, from what I read in that pilot, you're still gonna be doin' plenty of that!"

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After lunch the new actor arrived at Station 51.

Chief escorted him into the common room.

"Everybody…I'd like you to meet Dylan McEwan…he's gonna be hangin' out with us…ridin' along on Truck…"

"Hey, everyone…" Dylan said with a smile and a slight wave.

The team stared at one another in disbelief as the words rolled off his tongue in a thick, Irish brogue.

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He came back home that afternoon.

Andy and Jesse came running in from the kitchen.

"Daddy! Did you bring Morgan back to play with us?" Andy asked as he threw his arms around Kelly's waist.

"Yeah…did you?" Jesse said. "We got a lot more stuff to show him."

Kelly messed up the boys' hair…

"No, not today…we can't hit him with everything all at once…"

"Yeah…he might just turn around and head for the hills…" Alyssa said with a big smile as she followed the boys out of the kitchen.

He opened his arms to his wife…just glad to be home.

She noticed the grimace on his face as he hugged her tight.

"What's the matter, Baby?" she asked quietly.

"It's kinda sore…" he said just as softly, indicating to his bandaged arm.

"Did something happen?" Alyssa said as she led him across the living room to the sofa.

"I might have picked up a K-12…to show Morgan how to hold it…" he admitted sheepishly.

Alyssa's eyebrows raised slightly.

"You _might_ have?" she asked.

He flopped down onto the couch.

"Do you need something?" Lyssa asked him.

He nodded…and she went to get it.

She came back with some Ibuprophen and a glass of water…and he swallowed it down.

He set the glass on the end table next to the couch and reached for Alyssa's hand. She sank down beside him and he settled deeply into her arms.

They were quiet for a while…Alyssa gently rubbed his back and his shoulders and they watched their sons playing with their firehouse.

It was all so peaceful…Kelly thought he just might nod off for a little bit…then suddenly Alyssa giggled.

"What?" he asked.

She carefully took his right hand…and brought it to rest on the left side of her tummy.

And after a few seconds, he felt it…the baby moved!

He looked up with a huge smile on his face…

The baby moved!

"Hey guys…" he said. "C'mere…"

Andy and Jesse got up from their game and ran over to the couch.

Kelly took Andy's hand, and Alyssa took Jesse's and put them on her belly.

"What was that?" Andy asked as he felt something move against his hand.

"That's your baby brother or sister in there…" Kelly told him.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Craddock and McEwan sat in a booth at the hotel bar.

McEwan had just gotten into town the week before. He's spent a couple shifts with the men…and he was still trying to get the lay of the land.

Craddock, on the other hand, had been around about five…maybe six weeks and he finally felt like he was starting to get his footing. Now he wore the same uniform the rest of the guys did…the blue cargo pants…the blue shirt. When they went out on a call he threw on bunker gear along with the rest of them.

Lieutenant Severide kept drilling him…over and over…timing him with a stopwatch until Hollywood could do it as fast as everybody else.

He'd learned how to handle a Halligan…and now sometimes if he thought there was no real danger…the Lieutenant would call him over to open a door…or the guys would let him help vent. And one day they had hauled a wreck of a car down to the firehouse and Lieutenant Severide had spent a whole day showing him how to use the Jaws of Life, the spreader, the ram…they tore that thing apart till it was nothing but scrap.

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But honestly, he got the most out of the nights he had dinner over at Severide's place. He had to bite the insides of his cheeks to keep from laughing sometimes when Andy and Jesse were trying to teach him something. Not that the two little boys didn't know what they were talking about…it was obvious they did. But there was something decidedly undignified about learning the parts of a fire truck from a pop-up book.

He got to talk to Severide…and Casey…since he was always there for dinner. They were both more forthcoming now…talking about their own experiences. They had both come on as Candidates around the same time…they started on Truck together…and they had some stories to tell.

There were pictures too. Since everything in their house had been destroyed in the fire, Alyssa was collecting pictures from everyone she knew and making copies. She was trying to reproduce all the family albums. So Morgan got to see pictures of Andy Darden, the firefighter who got killed in the line of duty…the one Lieutenant Severide had named his son after.

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"So tomorrow's the big day." McEwan said.

Tomorrow McEwan, Craddock and all the other cast members were starting a three week boot-camp at the Academy.

"Yeah…" Morgan said. "I just hope all that extra cramming I've been doing starts to pay off."

"I took a look over that book you lent me…how in God's name do these fellows remember all of that?"

Morgan shook his head…he had no idea.

"I just keep tellin' myself that if two six year olds can learn everything…maybe there's a hope in Hell I can too."

"I've _got_ to meet these wonder twins someday." Dylan chuckled. "They sound like they'd be a riot."

"Oh…they are. But they're real serious about this stuff. Whatever you do…you can't laugh…no matter how cute it is."

Then he got an idea. He reached for his phone.

"Hey, Lieutenant…" he said when the call went through. "It's Craddock. Would it be okay if I brought McEwan over later? He wants to meet Andy and Jesse."

Hollywood listened for a moment.

"Thanks."

He ended the call.

"Okay, you're comin' with me. Make sure you bring your appetite…Alyssa needs to open her own restaurant. Her cooking is like…_insanely_ good!"

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"Kelly, Dr. Mabis's office called today. They had a cancellation and they wanted to know if I could come in for the ultrasound tomorrow instead of next week."

"But I'm on shift…"

"I know, Honey…but Matt's almost finished with the house…we're gonna be moving…there's so much to do next week."

"I wanted to be there. We're supposed to find out what it is…"

"It's not like I'm not gonna tell you…" Alyssa said.

"It's not the same."

Alyssa sighed. If it was that important to him…

"Okay, Baby. I'll just keep the appointment for next week."

She crossed the kitchen to hug him. She slipped her arms up around his neck…and Kelly folded himself around her and pulled her close…as close as he could. Her pregnancy was pretty obvious now. But he still hugged her tight.

As he held her, he could feel the baby moving inside her. And he _really_ wanted to know if it was a boy or a girl…and Andy and Jesse wanted to know if they were getting a brother or a sister.

"No…" he said. "Take the appointment tomorrow. I can't wait till next week to find out. Besides…once we know, Casey and I can start painting in the third bedroom."

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Kelly looked at his watch for about the nine hundredth time. What was taking so long? Alyssa's appointment had been at ten. And it was after four now. Why hadn't she called?

He reached for his phone.

As if on cue, the door opened and Andy and Jesse came running into the common room with Alyssa right behind. She was carrying two cakes…and Kelly started walking toward her.

But Mouch jumped up off the couch to take the cakes from Alyssa's hands.

"Here…let me help you with these…" he said solicitously.

Alyssa laughed…and Kelly caught the roll of the eyes from across the room.

When Lyssa showed up bearing gifts…okay, food…Mouch moved faster than he did when the bells went off.

Kelly quickly closed the gap between them. The boys threw their arms around his waist…hugging him tight.

"Okay…guys." He said. "I need to talk to your mom."

He opened his arms and Alyssa stepped into them.

"I've been waiting for you to call." He said. "I've been goin' crazy all afternoon!"

She smiled up at him.

"I think they're about to cut into the cake…" she said mischievously.

"I don't give a damn about the cake! What is it? A boy or a girl?"

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But he heard a commotion behind him at the counter.

"What the...?" Hermann said.

"What flavor is that?" Otis asked.

Curiosity got the better of him…and he turned around to see Mills had cut into the first cake…and the inside was…pink?

"It's a girl!" Alyssa laughed. "We're having a baby girl!"

Suddenly everybody got it…pink cake…

Kelly hugged Alyssa tight.

"A girl? Really?"

He couldn't believe it…he was going to have a _daughter_!


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

The next weeks were a whirlwind of activity…for everyone.

Craddock and McEwan and the rest of the actors were in up to their waists at the Academy with their training. Things were coming together…they were scheduled to start shooting the pilot at the beginning of March.

Every day he wasn't on shift, Severide went down to the Academy to help out with the training…especially for Morgan and the other actors on "Squad 4"…two guys named Don Phelps and Dallas Williams. He was now officially a "consultant" for the show…and the extra paycheck was a Godsend.

Casey was working overtime on the houses…doing a lot of the work in Kelly's house himself and overseeing the subcontractors he'd hired for to work on the other two.

Alyssa was starting to shop for furniture…and acquire all the pictures and things to hang on the walls, as well as the little knick-knacks for all around the rooms. She'd picked out the appliances for the kitchen…and those had been installed already.

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One Saturday just before Thanksgiving Kelly and Matt were hard at work in the third bedroom upstairs. That was the room they planned to use for the nursery…and they were painting it a light shade of purple. Lavender…Alyssa called it. Kelly supposed it was all right.

He ran the roller over the wall, spreading the paint. He'd never imagined himself with a little girl before…although he had had a feeling that the baby his wife was carrying was a girl almost from the beginning. But it wasn't real to him…not till Lyssa had showed up at the firehouse with that pink cake.

He chuckled to himself as he pictured his daughter…

"What's so funny?" Casey asked him.

"I was just thinking…God's got a pretty twisted sense of humor…giving _me_ a daughter."

Casey had to laugh at that…

"You were probably every dad's worst nightmare…"

"Oh…I'm sure I was…" Kelly replied with a rueful grin.

"Well…you don't have to worry…there's plenty of us to help you did the moat around the house…"

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"Hey! Anybody here?" a voice called from downstairs.

"Upstairs!" Kelly called back.

Moments later Craddock appeared in the doorway.

"Hey…Alyssa said I'd find you guys over here."

"You know what they say…no rest for the weary…" Casey said. "You know how to paint? Grab a roller."

Craddock took off his leather jacket and laid it over the railing in the hall.

"Is there anything you guys can't do?" he asked. "I mean…firefighting…construction…auto mechanics…"

"Everybody's gotta have some kind of side job." Kelly told him. "We wouldn't get very far on just our firefighters' pay. Especially the guys with families."

"Yeah…we're definitely not in it for the money." Casey agreed. "Not so much paint on that roller. Here…like this…"

He showed Morgan how to roll the paint onto the wall in smooth, even strokes.

Craddock watched for a minute then copied what Matt was doing.

"I guess we can chalk this up to more "training"… he quipped.

The three men chuckled.

"How's it going down at the Academy?" Casey asked.

"I can honestly tell you it's the hardest thing I've ever done." Morgan said. "It's comin' along. McEwan's on everybody's shit list right now.

"What'd he do?" Kelly asked.

"Apparently he's got a bad shoulder…old rugby injury he "forgot" to tell anyone about…"

"Oops…" Kelly said with a grunt.

"Yeah…well it's acting up and he's not able to do a lot of the stuff. And there's already been a bunch of press about the show, I guess they don't want to recast the role. So the writers and the producers are tearing their hair out trying to figure out how they're gonna get around this."

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Kelly and Matt looked at one another. They both remembered another injury…a long time ago.

"They could have him get injured at the fire in the very beginning." Kelly offered hesitantly. "That's like what happened to me."

Craddock stopped what he was doing and stared. Severide still didn't readily share his own experiences…at least not the bad ones.

Severide took a deep breath. Even after all the time that had passed, it was still painful to talk about the fire that had killed his oldest friend.

"The fire where Darden was killed happened a lot like they wrote it in the script…"

Craddock shifted uncomfortably. He was the one who had unearthed the story about the firefighter from station 51 dying in the line of duty. He had gleaned a few details from archived newspaper articles on line and correctly surmised that since Severide had named his son Andy…that there was an important connection. He took that story to the writers…and they had run with it. It wasn't till later, when he had showed Severide the script that he learned how eerily close to reality it had been.

Severide continued.

"We got the call…and we were laughing and joking back and forth over the radio before we got there. And it didn't look like a big deal. But there was no vent in the back…and when Andy broke that window in the attic the door got sucked shut and the thing exploded."

He shuddered as he remembered what happened next.

"I hit the deck…and my tank slammed me in the back of the neck. My whole body went numb for a couple seconds…but then I got up and got the hell outta there." He said. "And then I started havin' problems with my arm. I'd get these burning pains shooting up and down…I figured it was a pinched nerve. But it turned out to be somethin' a whole lot worse."

"What could be worse?" Craddock asked.

"Turned out I fractured my C5 vertebra. The doctor I went to advised me have this surgery…and she was talking a year or more recovery time. But even then…I'd prob'ly still have to take a desk job…or long term disability."

"But obviously that didn't happen…" Craddock interrupted. "So what'd you do?"

"I tried to deal with it…but not in the healthiest way." Severide said hesitantly.

Casey just scoffed.

Kelly shot him a look.

"First…I was getting some Toradol…from…a friend…but then that dried up. So I called this girl I used to date…a drug rep. And she got me some Oxy. But then we all had to take a random piss…and I barely got around it. After that I was scared to take anything stronger than Aleve. That's about the time I met Alyssa…and she helped me…at first."

"How?" Craddock asked.

He was totally caught up in the story…

"She used to be a massage therapist at a physical therapy clinic. She had all kinds of tricks that helped the pain. And it worked…for a while. But then it got worse…and I started stealin' meds from her."

Craddock nodded. He had learned about the injuries Alyssa had suffered…

"Then I started taking morphine from the ambo…" Kelly went on. "But eventually it all blew up and I had to come clean…at least part way…and we started lookin' at surgery. I didn't want to do it…and I thought about just hangin' it up. Then Lyssa found this doctor out in Lake Forest doin' this experimental procedure so we ended up goin' with him. Thank God it worked."

Craddock's mind was churning…this was the perfect solution to McEwan's shoulder problem…but it was such a juicy story line that Craddock wanted it for himself.

But if it helped the show…

"Would you let me try and set up a meeting with the producers?" he asked Kelly. "You can tell them the story…and who knows? Maybe they'll pick it up and run with it…"

Kelly hesitated. He wasn't sure he wanted his dirty laundry aired in public like that…but then, who would know? Casey…Shay…Lyssa…

He shrugged.

"I guess…"

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They went back to their painting….and Kelly and Matt started talking about the upcoming Bears game. But Craddock barely registered a word. He was thinking about the story Severide just told…and he was pondering something for his character. McEwan would get the injury…but the producers had promised that his character, Lieutenant Aaron Whitlock, would have some personal demons to battle as well. And he was thinking what those might be.

He wasn't worried about the series getting picked up. They had a great story…multi-layered characters…top notch writers…and Todd Keller had the Midas touch when it came to long running serials.

He wanted the writers to create a steady love interest for his character…and he had thought about suggesting a few things based on what he'd seen between Kelly and Alyssa…but now he was reworking it in his mind…he'd jot it all down and email it to the writers later.

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Kelly glanced at his watch.

It was getting close to dinner time…

"Hey? Why don't we wrap it up for today?" he suggested. "Lyssa's makin' pork chops tonight…"

"Say no more…" Casey said with a smile as he started pouring paint back into the cans.

"How 'bout you, Hollywood? The least I can do is feed you for helpin' out."

Craddock looked over his wall…and then at the ones Casey and Severide had painted.

They'd probably end up re-doing his…

"If you say so…" he said. "Besides…I've got "training" scheduled with Andy and Jesse anyway. They said they're gonna teach me what to do when I get on scene."

Kelly and Casey both grinned.

"Well we can't get in the way of your "training"…Kelly told him.

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For all his initial reservations about Hollywood, Kelly had to admit he was great with the kids. Andy and Jesse were so serious about teaching Morgan everything they knew about firefighting…which was a lot when you considered that they were a month shy of seven…but there were a bunch of times when Kelly...and Matt...had to leave the room so they didn't burst out laughing.

But Hollywood never did . Maybe the guy really was a good actor.

"There's somethin' else I wanted to ask you…" Craddock said to Kelly.

"Okay…shoot…"

"They're filming a lot of the training exercises…the producers are already lookin' ahead to "extras" for the DVDs."

"Isn't it a little soon for that?" Kelly asked. "I mean…you haven't even made one episode yet."

Craddock dismissed the thought with a wave.

"If you only knew how much un-used footage they have…it's enough to wrap around the world a hundred times." He scoffed. "But I was wondering if you and Alyssa would give them permission to film some of my training sessions with the boys. You know…them showing me their toys…their books…them beating me at drills…it'd be hilarious. And the audience would eat it up."

"You'd look like an idiot." Kelly pointed out.

"Wouldn't be the first time…" Morgan told him. "And I'm sure it won't be the last."

Severide and Casey looked at one another.

"Well…" Kelly said. "I guess if you're willin' to take one for the team…we can talk to Lyssa about it."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Over the next few weeks Severide felt like he was going non-stop. Between work, his new consulting gig and training the "Squad" actors…and finishing the house…the most sleep he ever got was when he was on shift at the firehouse.

Hollywood did arrange that meeting with the head writer and the executive producer Todd Keller. The two had flown in and took Kelly and Alyssa out to dinner downtown. Severide told them his story…and Craddock had made a few suggestions as well…and they decided to adapt it in order to compensate for McEwan's bum shoulder. And somehow…that had all translated into an extra paycheck.

Kelly certainly wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Not with all the stuff they had coming up.

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It would be good to get back into their house, but there was so much to do. First they had to pack up the apartment…and decide what they were going to use in the new house.

They had gotten a ton of stuff from the department wives and from the people at church after the fire…and Alyssa and her sister-in-law had come up with a plan to kind of pay it forward. So in addition to the move…the show…and the new baby, Lyssa and Kathy were opening a thrift shop in partnership with St. Pasqual's. They were going to start with the things that had been donated to them…and then take in gently used items…and people could buy them for a few bucks. They had already made some deals with a bunch of organizations that helped battered women and got homeless people into apartments. The organizations would pay a flat rate…and their clients could get what they needed.

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But as good as it would be for the Severide's and the Boungiovanni's to get back into their own houses, it was also bittersweet. Sadly, the Riordan's weren't coming back. Amy had had a real hard time coping with all that had happened and just walking through the house during the reconstruction had sent her into a full blown panic attack. So Kyle had put in for a transfer…and they were renting a house down in the Homewood-Flossmoor area. They had family there.

Kelly hated to see them go. He knew he'd miss hanging out with Kyle and the boys would miss Kevin and Danny, but he understood.

Amy and her boys had been badly injured. All three had suffered serious burns and smoke inhalation. Danny was an asthmatic to begin with…and the little boy had spent over a week on a ventilator after the fire to give his damaged lungs a chance to heal. But even six months later almost any exertion at all caused him to gasp and wheeze.

Had it not been for his training and preparing his family for what to do in a fire, Kelly knew things could have been just as disastrous for his family. As it was he was anticipating an adjustment period…some anxiety about being back in the house again and he had scheduled two weeks off.

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Moving day finally arrived…and the team was on hand to help the families get back into their houses. Hollywood showed up too with a bunch of the other actors in tow…Phelps and Williams…the two other "Squad" guys…and nearly everyone from "Truck" turned out to help.

Andy and Jesse were so excited…watching their "uncles" troop up and down the stairs…carrying pieces of furniture…boxes of clothes, toys, books…some of them went on the truck that was going to their house…some of them went on the truck that was going to the new store.

The boys kept darting back and forth, running between the men and ducking under and behind the things being carried out. It was a great game until Kelly grabbed them by the arms and hauled them into the laundry room in the back of the apartment.

He picked Andy up…and plopped him down on top of the washing machine…then grabbed Jesse and plopped him down on top of the dryer.

The two boys looked at one another…uh oh…Daddy had his angry face on…

"I told you guys three times to stop gettin' in the way! You can't be runnin' around like that! Someone's gonna get hurt!"

They didn't like it when Daddy got angry. They didn't like it when he yelled. Andy's eyes were wide with fear and his bottom lip trembled.

"Sorry, Daddy…" he said in a tiny little voice.

But Kelly was still going.

"You know, I'm not just talkin' 'cause I like the sound of my own voice! You boys need to start payin' attention!"

Jesse teared up too.

"We sorry, Daddy. We'll be good…honest."

Kelly stopped what he was about to say. He was running on about three hours of sleep and he didn't mean to be so sharp with his sons…that was the last thing he wanted.

The sight of big blue eyes swimming with tears was enough to break his heart.

"C'mere…"

He gathered Andy and Jesse into his arms and held them tight.

"I'm sorry, guys." He told them. "But we've gotta be safe here…we don't want anyone to get hurt. Not you, not me, your uncles…our friends…"

He pulled out his phone.

"Hey…Pop…turns out there's something I need you to do after all…"

And about fifteen minutes later he was packing Andy, Jesse, Connor and Aiden into his dad's car for a trip to the movies and out for pizza.

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That night…after everyone had left…Kelly locked his front door and he had to take a minute to compose himself before he turned around to look at his house.

Matt had done an amazing job…the hardwood floors, the upgraded kitchen and the bathrooms. Everything had come together and it was a real showplace. It was truly work he should be proud of.

But there was a storm of emotions going on. The neighborhood didn't feel the same…at least not to Kelly. His home was always someplace he could go after shift, shut the door, and forget about all the ugliness and devastation he was forced to confront on a daily basis. He could hold his wife and hug his kids and just…count his blessings.

But that ugliness had reached inside his four walls…when a nine year old boy had deliberately tried to murder his family because Kelly wouldn't let Andy and Jesse play with him. Even six months later…the thought that someone filled with that much anger and hatred had lived only four doors down was enough to make him shudder in fear.

There were three empty houses on the block…the Riordan's…the Garibaldi's…and the Murdoch's. Kelly wondered when they'd be getting new neighbors…and what they'd be like.

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He felt Alyssa come up behind him…lay her tiny hands on his broad shoulders…and slide them down his well muscled arms. Kelly took a deep breath…and let it out slowly. All the stress and tension began to melt away the moment she touched him. Just like always.

He took another minute to savor the closeness between them before he turned around to wrap her in his arms.

Alyssa was six months along now…and Kelly swore she was as big as she'd been with the twins. He didn't know if it was just because she was so tiny herself…that things seemed all out of proportion…or if he was remembering things wrong or what. All he knew, was her stomach was huge…and he couldn't even imagine what she'd look like in three more months.

It made hugging her difficult…that was for sure.

But he wasn't about to let that stop him. He wrapped her in an embrace and pulled her as close to him as he could. And he could feel the baby moving inside her.

"What's she doin' in there?" he asked in surprise.

"Baby gymnastics…" Alyssa answered ruefully.

"She must be trying for a gold medal." Kelly quipped as his daughter gave a particularly hard kick.

Poor Lyssa must be black and blue on the inside…

"C'mon…" he said. "Let's get the boys to bed."

Then he could hold his wife all night long…he thought to himself as they climbed the stairs.

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But putting the twins to bed proved easier said than done.

"Guys! Enough!" he said. "It's way past your bedtime!"

But Andy and Jesse were just too excited…checking out every nook and cranny of their room.

"It's the same room you've had since you were babies! Just with a fresh coat of paint!" he told them…unable to keep the frustration out of his voice.

"No it's not!" Andy said as he darted around Kelly. "Look!"

He ran to the foot of the ladder that led up to the loft Casey had built for each boy. Now their beds were about four and a half feet off the floor…and each one had a new desk and bookcase underneath.

Kelly just rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"If you want, I can just go get my chain saw from the garage. I can have those beds on the floor _real_ fast."

"No!" Jesse cried. "I like my big bed!"

"Then get your little butt up that ladder…" Kelly told him. Then he turned to his other son. "And that goes double for you, Andrew Michael."

When Daddy used their full names, the boys knew they were in big trouble. Jesse scampered up his ladder in about two point two seconds. Andy looked at Kelly for a minute…and Kelly crossed his arms across his chest and looked right back.

Andy decided it was better not to take his chances…and he reluctantly climbed up to his bed.

Kelly tucked them in…

"Now you guys go to sleep…or else I'll cancel your "training" with Morgan."

He wasn't sure what had possessed him when he agreed to take Hollywood and the boys to the climbing wall at the "Y" for "vertical rescue training" the day after they moved. But the boys were looking forward to it…and they had the camera crew lined up and everything.

They had already filmed one segment of "training"…another crack at the "down firefighter assessment". Andy and Jesse had wiped the floor with Craddock…again. Not only that, but they'd shaved another three seconds off their time.

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He closed the twins' bedroom door behind him and went down the hall to his own room. He could hear the shower running and he quickly stripped off his shirt and jeans. He carefully opened the shower door and slipped in behind Alyssa.

She sighed as he caressed her body…his hands coming to rest on the gi-normous baby bump in front of her. He leaned down over her shoulder to kiss that one special spot where her neck and collarbone met.

"We should have had Casey put in one of those Jacuzzi tubs…like we had at the Peninsula…"

"You'd have a heart attack as soon as you opened the water bill." She told him.

He chuckled.

"You're prob'ly right."

He reached for the sponge and her lemon scented body wash.

"Here…try this one instead." She said, reaching for another bottle.

She poured some on the sponge and Kelly breathed in the scent of spearmint and eucalyptus. He began to soap her back.

"That's pretty nice…" he whispered, commenting on the scent.

"Um-hmm…" she replied. "You're next, Severide."

She turned and took the sponge from him and before he could protest at the less than manly implications, she began to rub those small, soothing circles across his chest and shoulders.

"It tingles…" he said.

"Um-hmm…" she said again. "I figured you wouldn't mind after all the moving and everything."

She stepped closer to him…as close as she could…and slipped her arms around his waist. She began to soap his lower back.

"You read my mind…" he told her.

"It's prob'ly be easier if you turned around." She replied.

He answered by pressing up against her.

"Easier…but not as much fun."

Alyssa giggled.

"Isn't that how we got into this in the first place?"

Kelly just caressed her stomach again…marveling that his daughter was in there.

"And I can't wait to do this again…" he growled as he leaned down to kiss her. "And again…and again…and again…"

"How many kids are you figurin' on havin'?" she asked when they came up for air.

"Maybe my own baseball team…" he answered. "Or my own football team…"

Alyssa laughed.

"Good luck with that…"


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Kelly was right to schedule a long vacation beginning on moving day.

The days were fine…the boys had another week of school…then Christmas break.

But the first couple nights in the house had brought the twins running down the hall to their parents' bedroom.

"Daddy! I heard something downstairs…" Jesse cried.

And Kelly had to get up and go downstairs…then come back and reassure his sons that there was nothing to be afraid of.

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And Kelly and Alyssa spent their days getting everything where they wanted it…and getting out the Christmas decorations.

Thank the Lord the basement had been untouched by the fire…and all their mementos were still intact. All their Christmas ornaments and special holiday knick-knacks…pictures in holiday frames…nativity sets…all those things they could never have replaced.

Christmas was a big deal in the Severide house…for a lot of reasons. The most obvious was that December 24 was Andy and Jesse's birthday…and they always tried to make it special. Another was it was really the first holiday that Kelly and Alyssa had celebrated together in their own place…in their own way. It was Alyssa's favorite holiday…and Kelly couldn't help getting caught up in her almost child-like enthusiasm as they made their own traditions.

They decorated trees…plural. Alyssa loved Christmas ornaments…and every year she bought dozens of new ones…all representative of where they were that year. Kelly was positive he owned every firefighter and fire truck ornament known to man…and they had a tree in the living room strictly designated the "firefighter tree". There was another tree in a corner of the dining room with all foodstuffs hanging.

And there was the "family" tree…with ornaments from Alyssa's grandparents' trees…a photo ornament for every year of the boys' lives…a family photo ornament for each year…ornaments that reflected the kids' interests (other than firefighting) like books, and different toys…ornaments from the Disney parks they had gotten on their trip…and a shark to remind them of their fishing expedition.

This year there was a "new home" ornament…because they were back in their house again…and a "new baby" ornament…a woman with dark hair and an obviously pregnant belly.

"You do know you're gonna have to cool it with the Christmas trees…" Kelly told Alyssa as he set up the third tree. "We're gonna run outta places to put 'em."

"What are you talking about?" Lyssa asked with a wicked little grin. "There's the playroom…and the guest room…and maybe a little one in the bathroom…"

"I'm drawin' the line right there, Babe." He said. "I refuse to hang Christmas ornaments in the bathroom!"

"It's like "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas"…" Alyssa pouted.

Kelly rolled his eyes heavenward.

"You're worse than the kids…"

Alyssa came up and put her arms around him.

"And you still love me…"

"You're damn right I do." He said as he wrapped her in a tight embrace.

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He was working on the outdoor lights when a car pulled up in front of the house.

He turned around to see Morgan getting out and heading up the drive.

"Aren't you a little early?" Kelly asked, glancing at his watch. "The kids don't get out of school for another couple hours."

Craddock had decided to stay in town, doing some extra instruction at the Academy…even though the rest of the cast had wrapped up their "boot camp" earlier in the week. Morgan still had so much he wanted to learn…and the brass was all for it. So most every day was spent in classes or meeting with the instructors. And then he came to have "training" with Andy and Jesse…Kelly suspected it really had something to do with the free dinners, but the boys loved playing with Hollywood and he always made them feel like they were doing something really important.

Craddock shrugged.

"Want a hand?" he asked.

"Sure…there's another ladder in the garage."

The two worked for a while…just making small talk.

Kelly asked what he was doing at the Academy…and Craddock told him about his crash course in HazMat.

Then Kelly asked another question.

"So…you goin' home for Christmas? Everybody else's cleared outta here."

"No…I'm actually bringin' my mom and my grandma here."

"You love Chicago that much?"

Craddock chuckled.

"I do like it here…I'm thinking about getting' a place…you know, for when we're shooting. Maybe my mom and my grandma'll come too…maybe get a room for my kid brother when he's on break…"

"Don't you need to see if the show gets picked up?" Kelly asked. "I mean, before you go makin' all kinds of plans?"

"I'm not worried. I know we've got a good product. And with Todd Keller steerin' the ship, we can't lose."

"I'm glad you're that confident."

"I am…I'm really excited to see how far this thing can go. I'm working on developing another character…a love interest for Whitlock. The writers say they're open to it…"

"You like the writing part, don't you?" Kelly observed. "That bio you put together…all the suggestions you gave them when we had that dinner last month…you really put a lot of work into it."

"I always liked making up stories when I was a kid. It was a way to get out of my life for a while." Morgan admitted. "Kids used to tease me and my brothers… 'cause we used to get our clothes from the Goodwill…we didn't have the video games…we got free lunches. My dad drank away every dollar he got his hands on…and my mom cleaned houses during the day…and offices at night. So we didn't have a lot."

"My mom worked at Marshall Fields' downtown. She used to use her discount and shop the clearance rack for my clothes." Kelly told him. "Things were tight…but she always made sure I could do stuff like play sports and go to the movies and whatever."

"I'm just glad I can help my mom out now…so she doesn't have to work like a dog anymore." Morgan said.

Kelly just shook his head. He had really misjudged Hollywood. It turned out the guy was really…_really _smart, and he was serious about wanting to do his job right. And he really had his head in the right place when it came to family.

"Well…since you're gonna be in town…we're having a birthday party for the boys on Christmas Eve…if you want to come. Bring your mom and your grandma…your brothers…whoever you want."

"Thanks…Andy and Jesse already invited me. In fact, they told me they'd be _really_ mad at me and wouldn't play with me anymore if I didn't come…" Craddock said with a grin.

Severide rolled his eyes.

"I'll talk to them…they think you're just one of their friends." He said. "They need to remember you're a grown-up…"

"Well, that's debatable." Craddock quipped.

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The house was bursting at the seams. They hadn't had a crowd that size since the twins' first birthday. Everyone from the firehouse was on hand… Alyssa's entire family…Kelly's Aunt Kathy and his cousins…Benny… and Morgan…as promised…

And he had brought his family. He introduced Kelly and Alyssa to his mom…

"Lieutenant…I'd like you to meet my mom, Jeanne Craddock…"

"How many times do I have to tell you? You don't have to be so formal…"

He held out his hand to Mrs. Craddock.

"Kelly…" he introduced himself.

Then he slipped his arm around Alyssa and brought her forward.

"And this is my wife, Alyssa."

Alyssa held out her hand as well, but found herself drawn into a big hug.

And then Morgan introduced his grandmother, Marianne, and his youngest brother, Grayson.

And finally…Kelly caught Andy and Jesse on a run from the kitchen to the living room.

"Guys…you need to say hi to Morgan…"

Andy and Jesse both pounced on their friend…and Hollywood caught them in a bear hug.

"Happy Birthday, guys!" he said with a huge smile.

"Morgan!" Andy cried happily.

"You came!" Jesse added.

"I promised you I would!" Morgan told them. "There's some people I want you to meet. This is my mom…and my grandma…and this is my little brother, Gray."

"He doesn't look very little…" Jesse said as he stared up at Grayson Craddock.

Grayson was well over six feet tall…and he had several inches on Morgan.

Of course everybody thought that was absolutely hysterical.

"What's so funny?" Jesse asked.

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While everyone was filling plate after plate with Alyssa's home cooking…Jeanne Craddock approached Kelly and Alyssa.

"I just wanted to thank you…" she began. "For making Morgan feel so welcome."

Kelly squirmed a little…he certainly hadn't been very welcoming…at least not in the beginning.

"We really enjoy having people around." Alyssa said quickly. "I'm the youngest of six…so I'm used to a full house. And Morgan's amazing with the boys."

"Every time he calls he always tells me about dinner with your family…" Jeanne went on. "And about all the extra "training"…not just with Andy and Jesse either, Lieutenant. He told me about all the extra time you've taken with him."

"He's really workin' hard." Kelly said.

"Well…I just wanted to tell you I appreciate all you've done. I wasn't thrilled when he moved out to LA…you hear so many stories. But this is good for him…"

No matter how old you got…no matter how successful you were…parents still worried.

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But Kelly supposed that could go two ways.

Towards the end of the evening…after the presents had been opened…after the cakes had been cut and devoured…Kelly walked around his house.

They still had about thirty or forty people…the kids were all out in the playroom…some of the grown-ups...okay, pretty much the whole team…had gone downstairs to the "man cave". There was a lot of trash talk around the pool table…and some money had already changed hands at the poker table.

And upstairs in the living room…Kelly couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the sight of his dad…over by the "firefighter tree"…deep in conversation…with Hollywood's mom!

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Eventually, the parties and the celebrations had to end.

They spent Christmas day at Lyssa's brother Tony's place. Tony had invited Hollywood and his family to join them too…especially after his wife Sherrie heard their plans to eat Christmas dinner at the hotel.

Morgan had splurged for the boys…and he picked the family up in a stretch Hummer!

He should have brought the camera crew…just to capture the looks on Andy and Jesse's faces.

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That night, as Kelly and Alyssa tried to settle the twins in bed…they couldn't help but remember the year before.

That was the night when all the trouble really started.

That was the night Timmy Murdoch started the first fire…

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Andy and Jesse both hurried over to the window in their bedroom and craned their necks to see over to the house next door.

Mr. and Mrs. Garibaldi's old house was still empty. But the boys stared out at the newly reconstructed back porch.

"Guys…" Kelly told them. "Nothin's gonna happen. Let's go to bed."

He herded them away from the window and up the ladders to their beds. Jesse looked nervous as he turned back for one last look.

"Timmy's gone, right Daddy?" he asked. "He's not coming back, is he?"

Kelly tucked the blankets around his son. He took a few moments to stroke his brown hair…and look into the blue eyes that were exactly like his own.

"Yeah, Jess." He said softly. "Timmy's far, far away from here. He's at a place where people are always watchin' him…so he can't hurt anyone again."

Timmy was at a Juvenile home in northern Michigan…and he'd be there till his twenty-first birthday. Hopefully, in that time, he'd get the help he needed. Hopefully they could undo some of the damage that had been done.

Alyssa said that in some ways, Timmy was a victim in all this too…and Kelly tried to look at it that way. But all he really cared about was that the kid was gone. Hopefully forever.

He tucked Andy in too…and turned out the light.

"'Night guys…" he told them. "Love you…"

"Love you too, Daddy." Andy said.

"Love you too." Jesse said.

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Kelly closed the door and walked down the hall to his room.

"How many times do you think they'll be in here tonight?" he asked Alyssa as he flopped down onto the bed.

"I think we should cut 'em a little slack tonight." She said. "You can't blame 'em for being scared…"

Kelly nodded.

That fire had scared him too.

Not in the moment…when he had seen the flames his brain had kicked into auto pilot. He just did what he knew how to do best. It wasn't till after…after the fire was out and they were back inside. The boys were scared to death…and wanted to stay with him and Lyssa. But his knee was killing him. He couldn't make it up the stairs…not even with Lyssa's help. So they had all slept down in the living room…the boys in their sleeping bags on their big body pillows on the floor…he and his wife cuddled on the couch. Alyssa had done everything she could to make him comfortable and to ease his pain…but nothing could take away the feeling of dread he had had that something sinister was lurking in their nice, safe little neighborhood.

He and Alyssa laid awake in each other's arms…waiting.

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Just before midnight, they could hear little feet creeping down the hall. The bedroom door opened very, very slowly…and the twins crept in.

"Mommy?" Jesse whispered.

"Daddy?" Andy said.

"Can we sleep with you?" Jesse asked.

Alyssa turned over.

"C'mon up here…"

The twins didn't need to be told twice. They quickly scampered up into the center of the bed and burrowed under the covers.

Alyssa sang softly under her breath… "Silent Night"… "O Holy Night"…and "Do You Hear What I Hear?"…and soon the boys were fast asleep.

She and Kelly softly stroked their sons' little heads…

"Do you want to move to put 'em back in their beds?" she whispered.

Kelly just shook his head.

"Nah…let 'em stay in here."

"It's gonna be okay, Baby." She told him softly. "We've got our boys…we've got our little girl coming…we've got our house back…we made it, Kelly."

"I know, Lyssa." He whispered back. "I know."

And he reached for her hand.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Chief Boden called Casey and Severide into his office.

"Whaddya suppose he wants now?" Severide muttered under his breath.

"No clue…" Casey answered.

Their track record for getting called to the office wasn't so great. It usually meant something neither of them wanted to do…but they didn't really have a choice.

The last time the lieutenants got called in…they had ended up on this "Hollywood" roller coaster.

Kelly took a deep breath as he tapped on the door.

"Enter!" Boden called out.

The two friends shared a look…then Severide reached for the door handle.

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It was a full house.

Besides the chief…there was Dom Fraizer, one of the producers for the show, Chief Driscoll and Captain Mifflin from the Academy, and a bunch of guys neither Kelly nor Casey had ever seen before.

"Severide…Casey…c'mon in."Chief said.

"What's goin' on?" Casey asked.

"Let's introduce everybody first…" Fraizer said. "I'd like you to meet Nat Briggs and Dan Chason. They're our two main special effects coordinators. This is Michael Newman…he's set to direct our pilot…and Kenny Dieter, our stunt coordinator."

There were handshakes all around. Then Chief got down to business.

"Our friends here have made a request to have the two of you on the set when they start shooting next week. They've already sent it up the chain of command and the commissioner signed off on it this morning. So we won't be seeing much of each other for the next two weeks."

Chief didn't sound happy.

Neither was Severide.

"We don't get a say in this?" he asked.

It was one thing to be training the actors…that hadn't turned out to be so bad. They were all anxious to do a good job and come off as credible firefighters. But to essentially get benched for two weeks? That was a whole 'nother conversation.

Dom Fraizer looked Kelly in the eye.

"Safety is a real priority for us. We're gonna be putting our actors in some potentially hazardous situations…it'll be controlled to the best of our ability and we've got the best people working on this. But we want real firefighters there as an added precaution. And you two were asked for _specifically_…by the actors."

"What do we have to do?" Casey asked.

"You'll be right beside our leads…Lieutenant Severide, you'll be with Craddock. Lieutenant Casey will be with McEwan. They play their parts…but you're there in every fire scene…every accident scene. To give it the realism…and to take over if anything goes south."

Newman, the director reached into his valise and pulled out two scripts. He handed one to Casey and one to Severide.

"I'd like you gentlemen to go over these…"

"We've already read it…" Kelly said.

"I'd like you to pay particular attention to the scenes where we have a call out. Look at it from a technical and safety perspective. Jot down what you think we need to have on hand, anything you say, goes." Newman told them.

"Didn't you have people do this already?" Casey asked.

Newman nodded.

"Yeah…Chief Driscoll and Captain Mifflin have already given us a shopping list. Chief Boden made several suggestions as well. But you guys will be the" hands on" people. So we really need your input."

Severide and Casey walked out of the office.

"Looks like we got our work cut out for us…" Casey said.

"Let the games begin…" Severide said with a sigh.

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He told Alyssa about his new "assignment" when he got home the next morning.

And she just hugged him the best she could. She knew he wasn't happy about being pulled from Station 51.

"But Honey…" she told him. "Morgan'll probably feel a whole lot more comfortable knowing you're right there."

"I know…" Kelly said. "And in a way I am too...it's just…"

His voice trailed off.

"I know…" she told him. "But it'll all work out."

But when he went to work out she picked up the script.

And suddenly she wasn't so sure.

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The very first scenes involved a very familiar story.

She knew that a firefighter was going to be killed in the episode…and she knew that Craddock had created a back story similar to Kelly's story with Andy Darden. But as she read through the scenes once…twice…three times Alyssa got a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

There wasn't time to talk when Kelly came back from the gym, because he had to go pick up Andy and Jesse from school. The baby was due in about seven weeks…and Alyssa was getting so she could barely waddle to the end of the driveway. Kelly didn't want her walking the three blocks to St. Pasqual's especially with the snow still on the ground and unforeseen ice patches.

Once he got back there was the usual rush of activity…getting changed out of their uniforms, snacks…home work. Then there was a baseball meeting at the park district and Kelly went to that. The twins were going to play t-ball again this year.

After dinner, the boys got their showers and into their pj's…then they did their reading…twenty minutes each…and finally...bed time.

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Alyssa was waiting when Kelly finished tucking the boys in.

He stretched out across their bed and held out his arms to her. Once she climbed up he pulled her down beside him and laid his hand on her stomach. He could feel the baby moving around…he could see Lyssa's shirt shifting.

"Kelly…I read the script while you were at the gym."

"And what'd you think?" he asked.

"It's good…" she said. "But I'm kinda worried about that opening sequence. Where the firefighter gets killed."

Kelly was tracing circles on her belly…waiting for the baby to settle.

He knew that part would upset her.

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He remembered the night he had first told her. It was their second date…well, third if you counted the night they met. She cooked dinner for him…and in the middle of dessert his shoulder had started acting up again. It was really, _really_ painful…and he tried to downplay it…but Lyssa had seen right through his act. She promised to help him…and she asked if he had any injuries she should know about…so she didn't do anything to make it worse.

That night he told her_ almost_ everything about the fire that had killed his oldest friend. It was the first time he'd ever talked about it. He still remembered Alyssa's hands, soft and warm against his skin as she rubbed gentle circles on his shoulders…and how she had guided him down onto the bed and massaged away the pain and the tension that was just _gnawing_ at him.

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Her voice brought him back to the present.

"Kelly?"

He sighed.

"I know you're worried, Babe." He said. "But I promised I'd do this thing…and we need the money."

"I don't care about the money, Kelly." She told him. "I'm worried about you."

"It'll be fine." He promised. "I'll be okay."

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Of course those were the first scenes they shot. It took two whole days…and those were two of the longest days Kelly could remember in…he didn't even know how long.

He was used to roll up on a scene…do what you had to do…wrap it up…get back to the house and get ready to do it all again the next time the bells went off. Having to stand around for hours while they got the scene set and the lighting just right…and reset all the pyrotechnics…was a new adventure in torture.

This was not a profession for someone with a short attention span.

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They started with some dialogue.

When they got on scene they jumped off the truck…and a woman ran up to "Lieutenant Perry", McEwan's character.

"My brother!" she cried. "My brother lives in the attic and he hasn't come out yet!"

"That window there?" McEwan asked, pointing to the dormer window at the front of the house.

"Yes…up there!" the woman told him.

Then Craddock's character, "Lieutenant Whitlock" jumped off the squad.

He "surveyed" the scene.

"He could be up there…on the stairs…anywhere…" he said. "We'll take the back. Case of beer says we get to him first."

"Just vent the back…" McEwan said.

Then he and "Hickson" went to raise the ladder.

"Has Whitlock always been such a cocky prick?" McEwan asked.

"Only since kindergarten…" "Hickson" replied, implying that long standing friendship.

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In the next sequence, Craddock was around the back of the house.

He stood on one side of the door and got his mask into place…Kelly stood on the other and did the same.

Kelly gave Morgan a subtle nod…and Morgan checked the door for heat.

Then he kicked it in…just the way Kelly had taught him.

They went in.

And they filmed the scene where the fire "exploded" up the staircase…and Kelly and Morgan barely got out of the way.

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Kelly was standing outside watching the sequence where "Hickson" broke the window pane with a Halligan. McEwan cautioned him…but "Hickson" insisted they were good.

And he went through the window.

In this version of events, McEwan's character followed "Hickson" and he also barely dove out of the way in time as the fire roared up the stairs and swallowed "Hickson" whole.

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It was late when Kelly finally got home.

He was dead on his feet…and he trudged up the stairs to shower while Alyssa heated his dinner.

While he ate Lyssa helped Andy and Jesse with their reading…and herded them up to bed.

He joined her in time to tuck them in and kiss them good-night. And once they had closed the door behind them Kelly draped his arm around his wife's shoulders and they made their way to their bedroom.

Kelly fell asleep as Alyssa gently rubbed his back…tracing slow, easy circles against his skin.

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And then he was back on the scene…only this time it was Andy instead of the fictional "Hickson" that broke the window. And this time Kelly saw the fireball shoot out the broken dormer window.

He woke up in a tangle of sheets, his entire body drenched with sweat. His heart was pounding in his chest, and his lungs burned as he struggled to catch his breath. It was like he had just run a mile going full out.

"Kelly!"

Alyssa was shaking him awake.

"Kelly!"

He opened his eyes…and he was in his room…in his bed. The moonlight spilled through the blinds, cutting slivers on the hardwood floor.

Alyssa sat up beside him, her hair spilling over her shoulders, her brown eyes wide with fear.

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The bedroom door burst open and Andy and Jesse came running in.

"Mommy! What was that noise?" Andy asked.

"It sounded like a animal!" Jesse added, his little voice trembling with fear.

"It's okay guys." Alyssa told them. "Daddy just had a bad dream, that's all."

The twins crept closer to the bed.

Kelly sat up…wiping his hands down his face…suddenly shivering in the damp chill of the night.

"Go back to bed, boys. I'll take care of Daddy." Lyssa said.

Andy and Jesse reluctantly turned and headed back to their room…stopping every couple of steps to look back at Kelly.

Alyssa put her arms around him.

"It's okay, Baby…" she whispered. "It was just a dream…you're safe now. You're okay…"

Kelly drew a ragged breath.

"Go make sure the boys are okay…" he told her, his voice trembling as he spoke.

"I'll be right back…" she said.

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She got out of bed and made her way down the hall to the twins' room.

Andy and Jesse has climbed back in their beds.

"Is Daddy okay?" Jesse asked as Alyssa tucked the covers around him and handed him his teddy.

"He's fine…" she whispered.

"What did he dream about?" Andy wondered as Lyssa tucked him in next.

"I don't know…" she said as she handed him his little firefighter that he'd gotten for his first birthday. "But it must have been really scary."

She kissed her sons once more, than went back to Kelly.

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His breathing was a little more even…and she went into the bathroom. She took a washcloth out of the linen closet and ran it under the hot water. She picked up a towel and took everything back to the bedroom.

Alyssa sat on the edge of the bed and gently sponged Kelly with the warm cloth and patted him dry with the towel. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it tight as he tried to concentrate on taking slow, deep breaths.

After a few minutes, she dropped the towel and the washcloth on the nightstand and climbed back into bed.

She took her husband in her arms.

He was still trembling with fear.

"Tell me, Kelly…" she whispered. "Tell me what happened."

His voice sounded very small…and very far away.

"It was Andy…Darden." He said. "He went through the window…and a fireball came exploding out…"

Alyssa nodded knowingly.

"It's okay, Baby…you're safe…it's okay…"

And Kelly buried his face against her breasts…his body convulsing with sobs as he finally…_finally_ let it all go.

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When he couldn't cry another tear…he just held Lyssa close.

"When the fire blew up those stairs…I went flying. I hit the floor and I felt the tank slam the back of my neck. And my whole body went numb. I couldn't move." He said.

Alyssa hugged him as tight as she could.

"It seemed like forever…" he went on. "But it wasn't more than ten…maybe fifteen seconds. My PASS alarm never even went off. I got up…grabbed Capp…and got the hell outta there!"

"It's okay…" Alyssa whispered.

He'd never told her this part…the only people who knew were the ones who were there.

"We stumbled around front…my body felt weird…like I wasn't in control. Like I was drunk or something…and when we got there…everybody was just standing there…looking at that goddamn window."

Alyssa kept rubbing his back.

"I was trying to clear my head. I looked around…took a quick head count…and I said 'Where's Andy?' But nobody said anything. Casey came down the ladder…like he was moving in slow motion. 'Where's Andy?' I said again. And then I knew. Then I knew."

"Kelly…" Lyssa whispered.

"I tried to go back in. I ran for the ladder…the guys tried to stop me. I ran right into Casey…and he caught me. I punched him…right in the face…and a bunch of guys grabbed onto me. Capp…Hadley…Vargas…Cruz, Hermann…all of 'em. It took all of 'em to hold me back. I wanted to go get Andy! I wanted to get him…but they wouldn't let me! They said it was too late!"

"Kelly…"she whispered again. "I've got you, Honey…"

"He was my best friend…from the time we were five…when we moved in the building next door." Kelly said. "He was always there…always there…"

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He pulled the car to the side of the road and cut the engine.

"Daddy?" Andy asked. "Where are we?"

"C'mon…get out." Kelly told them.

The boys unbuckled their seat belts…wondering where Daddy was taking them. It was a quiet place…with lots of trees…and rows of stones sticking up from the ground.

Kelly opened the rear door…and Andy and Jesse slid out of the back seat.

He took his sons by the hands…and led them between the stones till he came to one next to a big tree.

Kelly knelt down and brushed his hand over the stone in the ground.

Andy and Jesse looked down at the words…

_Andrew Darden_

_October 30, 1976-August 2, 2012_

"Daddy?" Jesse asked.

Kelly looked up at his sons. His eyes shone bright with tears that threatened to fall at any moment.

He took a deep breath to pull himself together.

"This was my oldest…best…friend." He said. "I knew him since I was even younger than you. He was a firefighter…"

He looked at Andy.

"That's where Mom and I got your name, Buddy. Even before you were born…I told her if we had a boy I wanted his name to be Andy."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"And that's a wrap!"

Everyone on the set burst into applause.

They finally had the pilot episode of "Chicago Fire" in the can.

It had been a long two weeks…two weeks of long, long days. Kelly had never imagined how much went into making forty six or forty seven minutes of TV time.

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He'd be so happy to get back to his regular duty at Station 51. And getting back to his regular life.

But first he had two whole days to spend with his family. They had the whole weekend together. And they were going to do absolutely nothing. He was going to watch movies and play with his boys…and pamper and spoil his wife.

The baby was due in about a month…and poor Alyssa was sooo…uncomfortable. Kelly didn't think she could get any bigger…but that's what he'd said last month.

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As Severide walked off the set and headed toward his car, a little group was congregating in the "common room" at the fictional Station 12.

"Are you sure about this?" Casey asked. "Why not just flat out tell him?"

"It's gotta be a surprise…" Shay answered…like that should be obvious.

"I don't know…" Dawson said. "Lyssa nearly jumped out of her skin the last time anybody yelled 'surprise'."

"And Severide was ready to tear you a new one." Casey added.

"Been there, done that…" Craddock said as he walked in to the conversation. "Got the postcard."

Shay rolled her eyes.

"So are you on their side? That we tell them we're planning a baby shower? That's…totally boring!"

"I'm on whatever side doesn't involve somebody gettin' pissed at me." Craddock quipped.

"That would be our side." Casey said with a nod of his head.

"Fine!" Shay huffed. "You people have no sense of adventure."

"Just a strong sense of self preservation." Casey told her.

Then he looked at the group of co-conspirators…Craddock, Mills, Dawson and Shay.

"Okay, so we're agreed? Saturday night…Mills' restaurant. Mills and Dawson are in charge of the food…Shay, you're on decorations…Craddock, you spread the word around here…I'll get the rest of the team and Lyssa's brothers."

"And I'm providing the adult refreshments…" Craddock added.

"Right…beer run." Casey nodded.

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Kelly came in his back door…and closed it behind him.

He leaned back against it and inhaled deeply.

Dinner was cooking…and he could smell the lemons and the garlic and the wine. Alyssa's chicken piccata…one of his favorites.

Who was he kidding? Everything she had cooked for him in the ten years since he'd met his wife was one of his favorites.

This was the earliest he'd been home in two weeks…and obviously Lyssa felt that was cause for celebration.

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His moment of peace and quiet was shattered when little feet came thundering across the hardwood floor.

Kelly braced himself for impact as Andy and Jesse came tumbling out the kitchen door into the four season's room.

"Daddy! You're home early!" Andy shouted.

"We didn't even eat dinner yet!" Jesse said.

Kelly hugged his sons and scooped them up into his arms. He wouldn't be able to do that much longer…not with the way the boys were growing.

"Yeah…we finished shooting the pilot." He said.

"So what happens next?" Jesse asked.

"They're gonna take it to the TV people. And if they like what they see, they'll tell 'em to make more episodes and you can watch it on TV in the fall."

He carried the twins into the kitchen. Alyssa turned down the heat under the chicken and covered it back up, then she waddled over to her boys…all three of them.

Kelly put the twins down and gave Andy a little swat on the rear end.

"Go play till dinner's ready. I need a few minutes with your mom."

The boys thundered out into the playroom.

Kelly shook his head and chuckled.

He was so glad to be home. He wrapped his arms around his very, _very_ pregnant wife and hugged her tight.

"We finished, Baby…" he told her.

"Now life can get back to normal?" she asked.

Kelly just grinned.

"For a few weeks anyway…" he said as he rubbed Alyssa's belly. "Once the princess shows up, all bets are off as far as "normal"."

Alyssa rolled her eyes…

"Go get yourself cleaned up…dinner'll be ready in about ten minutes."

He kissed her…then headed upstairs to change.

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Kelly felt freer and more at ease than he had in two weeks. He climbed into bed beside his wife, who was lying on her left side. He moved up behind her and playfully nibbled at her neck.

Alyssa squirmed…

"That's not gonna get you very far, Severide." She told him.

He laughed and wrapped his arm around her.

"I'd say I got pretty far…" he smirked as he slipped his hand beneath her t-shirt and caressed her stomach.

"I thought I wouldn't gain as much weight with just one…" she said with a sigh. "But I gained more than I did with the twins."

"Just five pounds…" he said. "You weren't so sick with this one in the beginning. Hardly at all..."

With the boys, Alyssa had dreadful morning sickness that lasted well into the second trimester. This pregnancy had been blissfully free of anything of the kind.

" Well, I feel like I'm as big as a house…"

"And I think you're gorgeous…" he said as he pulled her back closer against his chest. "And we both know I'm always right…"

"And don't forget modest…" she added as she snuggled into his embrace.

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So much for his plan to do nothing for two days…

Saturday morning Casey had called him…have his family at the restaurant at eight, he said.

And at ten to eight the Severide's walked into Mills' family diner…for their baby shower.

Alyssa couldn't get over the number of people there…the team, all her brothers, her nieces and nephews, and several people from the television show.

"What's this party for?" Jesse asked.

"It's a baby shower." Kelly told him.

"But the baby isn't here yet!" Andy said. "And anyways, she's too little to shower! She needs to take a bath in the sink!"

One of his friends from school had a baby brother…so he knew what he was talking about.

The entire room erupted with laughter.

Shay scooped her godson up into her arms.

"Have I ever told you you say the cutest things?" she asked.

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But there wasn't a lot of time for that. There was food…all kinds of snack-y things…mini cheeseburgers, French fries with cheese and bacon on top…Uncle Pete's famous grilled cheese sandwiches…chicken fingers, pizza…all Andy and Jesse's favorite things!

And there were three tables pushed together and loaded with presents.

The twins tore into the piles…but they lost interest as soon as they realized it was all stuff for the baby…and that it was all pink.

Kelly lost count of how many outfits and blankets and soft little dollies they opened. They got a box full of board books from Mouch…a stroller and a car seat from Mills and Dawson…a pink and white "sports" set with a football, a soccer ball, a basketball, and a baseball glove from Cruz…and a giant teddy bear as big as one of the twins from Vargas.

There was a bath tub with full of towels and bath products and a little robe with a hood and bunny ears from Hermann and his family…a baby gym with twinkly lights and a sound system from Hollywood…and all the crib bedding from Leslie.

Casey gave them a handmade rocking chair with purple flowers painted along the top.

"You oughtta go into the furniture business…" Kelly said as he admired his friend's craftsmanship.

"No thanks…" Casey said with a grin. "That'd take all the fun and relaxation out of it."

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And there was one more gift…in a giant cardboard box…no gift wrap, no bow…

"And this is for "Daddy"…" Casey said as Mills and Otis set it in front of Kelly.

He cautiously opened one corner. Knowing these guys whatever was in there was liable to jump out…

So far so good…feeling a little braver he opened the rest.

And burst out laughing!

Andy and Jesse looked up from their game and came to see what was so funny.

Kelly reached into the box and pulled out a brand new spade and shovel…each tied with a big pink bow.

"So you can dig the moat…" Casey called out.

"Or hide the bodies…" Otis muttered.

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The next day Morgan stopped by on his way to the airport.

After he hugged Alyssa and the twins he turned to Severide.

"I can't thank you enough for all you've done for me…" he said.

Kelly scoffed.

"Please…I was such an ass…"

"Well…maybe at the beginning…but there's no way I would have been able to get this thing right if it wasn't for all the extra stuff…the drills, the tools, everything."

"You really worked hard at it. And hey…if this show doesn't work out…you can always come on as a Candidate." Kelly said with a grin.

Craddock laughed.

"I hope not!"

But he got serious again.

"I'll be back this summer…we're gonna start shooting at the end of July."

Craddock and Severide…probably the most unlikely friends on God's green earth…slapped each other on the backs…

And Hollywood walked back to his limo…turned one last time, and waved to the family before he got into the car.


End file.
